Carol, Pagoda in my garden has been a wimp since its purchase. It arrived from Chalk Hill several years ago with mildew and it is prone to getting it every year. Other people with clematis have had success with it and have gotten impressive displays with it but I have not. Perhaps you will have good luck with it!

Minuet and Kermesina are two great producers in my garden. Kermesina was a bit slow to get started but has come into it own over three years in place.

Ember is a relatively new one that I got this spring from Dan at Brushwood. Perhaps someone from overseas might be able to give you an idea how it has done for them as it has just this year or last year at the latest come into availability here in the states.

I had a seedling of Purple Spider that I grew from seed that was sent to me. Just a word of caution about the atragenes which is the group that Purple Spider belongs to. The alpinas and macropetalas do not like the heat and humidity in my garden. They perform well for a year or so in my garden and then go into a decline. If I were to attempt to grow another of that variety in my garden, I would plant it where it got plenty of air circulation and shade in the afternoon.

Radiance is one that has my eye on Debbie's website. Are you ordering from her as her website says it won't be available until fall?

I just Planted Kermesina this spring..so that is great to hear Miguel..My "Claire de Lune" is 3 years old and Still one bloody vine..LOL..but it does bloom it's little heart out...Jeanne

Miguel, Debbie has Radiance available now but she doesn't have them on her website because they are not as big as what she normally ships. She said they have a good root system though and agreed to go ahead and ship one to me. She often will have a plant available that isn't on the website so I usually email her and just ask! This is exactly the kind of information I was hoping for! We are hot and humid here as well so I will plant Purple Spider in a place that has partial shade and I will keep my fingers crossed that Pagoda will like it here. I won't keep it long if it is plagued with mildew. I can't stand to look at anything covered in mildew. I am delighted to hear that Minuet and Kermesina are great producers. Thank you so much for the advice and information!

Jeanne, Debbie said she had to cut big fat buds off of Claire to send her....better her than me. What do you have Claire planted with? As in, do you have her planted with a rose?

Carol

Miguel, it's interesting to hear about your Pagoda and Minuet. I've had the opposite experience. Pagoda is not a huge producer, but a nice one, and Minuet takes forever to get going and has yet to bloom. Where did you get your Minuet?

I got Minuet last September 2 as a 1 year old in a 1 gallon pot. It may or may not have many flowers earlier, but it was in bloom when I got it and had a few more after that. Hadn't grown very tall yet. Just starting to poke thru the surface this week.

Just got a Radiance on April 21st this year. It was in a 1 gallon pot, but had been started early last Fall and overwintered in the field. There was only one stem poking up about a half inch, but 2 days before we had a snowstorm, and it was further along than most of mine. It was going to be put in a larger pot for sale, but since I am a fairly good customer, the owner gave it to me for the lower price. I put it in a 3 gallon pot in a hole that had a type 2 in a pot planted in it, and covered the nub with more soil. It is starting to break through again this week.

I bought a Blue Moon around June last year at HD in a 3 gallon pot, Broke off some of the stems trying to extricate it from the metal short trellis for planting. It shortly thereafter wilted down to nothing, but within 2 months it had a new stem and a flower.

There is a bit of confusion about the names of this plant. I had a Claire de Lune, which I thought was aka Silver Moon. It was younger & didn't ever bloom yet. So when the tag at HD said Blue Moon, I thought it was a different plant. But both are aka Evirin. Something about Blue Moon name already taken, so Evison had to rename his "Silver", I guess after the "Blue" tags were printed. Whatever the name, I like it very much. There is a bud on an 8" stem already, and 2 side stems coming from that. The other one hasn't showed up yet, but it is planted in a tub next to the house on the North side, and the soil in the pot is still rather cold. I'm curious to see if they really flower the same. The HD one gets a little more sun, but is still shaded by the arch it is grabbing onto and a yew shrub.

Marie in ME

Carol, thanks for the information about Radiance. I think I will just wait and order it this fall since I really hate babying clematis over the summer with watering. I also have nightmares of trying to order and have shipped clematis this late in the year since you never know what is going to happen weatherwise. It might be cool to moderate one day and blazing hot the next and I would hate to have a clematis die in transit or get set back because of the heat.

Michael to be quite honest I can't remember where I got it--I am thinking either Chalk Hill or Debbie at Silver Star Vinery. You know you are addicted when you can't remember and I have had to reconstruct my clematis spreadsheet so many times due to computer crashes and I haven't even done so since the last time my hard drive changed. I personally don't think that the fact that we have had two opposite experiences with two clematis. I am forever seeing/hearing of people who have had entirely opposite growing experiences with the same clematis.

Carol..I have clematis "Claire de Lune" planted on her own space next to Climbing Rosa "Don Juan"..she is more than welcome to get off her duff and produce more than one vine and grab ahold of "Don" for a dance..LOL..Yea, Debbie is always telling me she gets my first born by cutting off fat buds to mail..grrrr....LOL...Jeanne

Marie - I have Silver Moon, and I think Blue Moon was the 1 that had to be renamed Clair de Lune. Silver Moon is a different Clematis from Clair/Blue Moon.

Marie, thank you for the information. So Clair de Lune was previously called Blue Moon? I didn't know that.

Miguel, I agree about obtaining Clematis when the weather is already getting hot but my husband offered to buy additional clematis for me for Mothers Day and I had to order them quick before he changed his mind. I had a few in pots that I had to baby and water all last summer and plant in the fall and it was a bit of a pain.

Jeanne, I think Claire would look good with Don Juan if she ever gets off her duff. I have Artic Queen with my Don and it is a nice combination. Bit of a challenge in the spring to deal with pruning her though.

Carol

I have Mrs. Cholmondeley paired with my Don Juan. Both were planted last year so they aren't very 'chummy' yet.
{{gwi:573547}}

Bob..a Marriage MADE IN HEAVEN!!..WOW..Love that...Jeanne

Thanks Jeanne. I'm looking forward to watching this relationship get more involved.

Bob, I agree with Jeanne, that is a beautiful combination.

Carol