I would have bought them too.

I've been checking out Lowes frequently because their 2 gallon Ray Evison clematis are starting to look a little scrappy. It shouldn't be long before they want to bring in fresh plants to abuse and will need the space.

Unfortunately they don't tend to carry any of the good ones, or at least ones I would want, at our local Lowes. Harlow Carr is a winner in my garden--I love the color and form and am sure you will also.

I can never find any of the good ones at our Lowe's, either. I would love to find any of those locally. Especially at that price.

Carol

I'm Heading to my Lowe's..when I was there earlier in the Season..all they had was the usual.."H.F.Young","Snow Queen","Polish Spirit" and ONE that I didn't have "Violet Charm"..so maybe they have more in?..woohooooooooooooo..off to be a crazy woman...Jeanne

Thanks for mentioning this. I stopped by Lowe's on my way home today and picked up a Bourbon and a Rosemoor, both afor 75% off. Wish they would have had Cezanne - I would love to have another Cezanne or two, especially for such a great price!

I saw several scraggly Cezanness and Picardys from last year at a local garden center for $29.99 today. I did not buy them......

Wow, BorS, that nursery is charging an arm and a leg. I would have been tempted to tell them so and see if I could have gotten them at discount.

I've seen several nurseries stick clems from Donahues into gallon pots and charge $24 for them. I can get the same clem for around $10 if I ordered it from Donahues. Nice markup, huh?

I have seen the same thing Janet. I have purchased small starter clematis from Donahues in the past--in fact my Julia Correvon and Purpurea Plena Elegans, the first clematis I planted at my current house, were purchased from Donahues for less than $10 a piece. You get discounts on price the more you order from them.

These early clematis were not grown out before sticking them in the ground and this was during a time when we were in the middle of a drought and they survived quite nicely. Just this spring I purchased a Donahues starter clematis at a local nursery and only paid $10 for it. If I had purchased 2, I would have only paid $15 for the two of them!

For gallon Clematis I've paid $9.99 at big box stores and farm stores and I've paid $18.99 at Joy Creek but most local nurseries are $14.99

I was in Seattle yesterday and a nursery there wanted $24.99 for the same plants from the same growers.

The Patio Clems I've seen are all in 2 gallon pots but I'm not paying $29.99 for any Clematis.

I don't regularly shop Lowe's, WalMart or Trader Joes so I seem to be missing out on some deals.

Well, I guess for less than $5 a pop for two gallons I did pretty well then! Do Cezanne and Bourbon actually only get 3-4 feet tall? Harlow Carr about 8-12 feet? What about their bloom period? Can you really cut them down to 6" (the "ponytail" cut) after first flush and actually see more blooms later? These Evison clems are new to me.

BTW I just planted the Cezanne and the root system was quite developed - I'm quite pleased knowing it will probably do well, even after cutting off a couple of dead stems and shortening the rest.

It is nice to hear something positive about Donahues, Nckvilledudes. I hear so much about Silver Star Vinery, that I think Donahues is often overlooked when people talk about where to buy clematis. I haven't ordered from either, so I make no judgements, but you can't beat Donahues price if you can wait an extra season for them to catch up.

If anyone hasn't ordered Donahues catalog, you really must. I spent almost all of March with my face in its pages.

Janet, Donahues clematis are fine for $10 or so but they are what most people would call liners. Potting them up in gallon sized plants would give you a nice plant in a year. For a couple of dollars more, you can get a quart sized plant from Dan at Brushwood which has great roots systems and if you purchase two or more you get free shipping. For a little more, you will get gallon sized plants from Debbie at Silver Star Vinery which have huge root systems but you pay extra for the shipping so it really just depends on what size plant you want and how much you are willing to pay for it. Donahues plants are definitely made for people who want a lot of clematis at once and who have the patience to wait for them to grow up!

Well, who doesn't want a lot of clematis at once; I know I do. lol

In late April or Early may, I bought a couple of Donahue's clematis from a small greenhouse. Last night I repotted them into deeper pots, and was surprised that the root system was already more substantial than I had expected. Keep in mind that repotting young clematis is new to me, I used to just stick them in the ground. Taking yours and buyorsell888s ever so patient advice to cut them back has really make a difference. While that seems to temporarily stop the top growth, it is obvious that the clematis are busy growing it's root system.

I realize that experienced clematis growers know this already, but I think others who are inexperienced with growing clematis might think you guys are nuts (like I did) for cutting back the vines, and keeping the young ones in pots for a few months. To hear that it does really work, and you aren't as wacky at you seem might be helpful to people like me. lol

Buying from Donahues is an inexpensive solution for those of us who are trying to build our collection, and will also offer a larger variety than anyone will find at garden centers and nurseries.

Janet, I wholeheartedly agree about Donahues. If I had more room, there would be quite a few more clematis I ordered from them. The yard is really getting full-some might say jungle-like and overgrown but I have always liked that secret garden, packed to the gills English look.

Glad someone is taking our "whack it back" mantra. It is really amazing what it can do for clematis. My first experience with doing it was when I had what was supposed to be Margot Koster, a type III. It was planted one summer and the following spring I whacked it back as it should be for a type III. That year when it bloomed, I was informed it wasn't Margot Koster but rather most probably Sunset. Each year since then I figured why not whack it back since it still bloomed wonderfully. As a result, that plant has so many stems coming out of the ground it is just unreal. I have also had some more experienced clematis growers comment on it.

I then translated this whack it back mentality to my other type IIs which experience much brown out in the heat of the summer. I originally just whacked the plants back to get rid of that brown yucky foliage and discovered that it didn't only reinvigorate the plant, but it also gave me a second flush of blooms.

I then applied the whack it back philosophy to my type IIIs and most of them have responded well to reflowering.

All I can say is to people is try it and see if it works for them. If so, continue doing it. If not, don't. Why have you got to lose??

On top of all the other advantages, the mentality also makes it a whole lot easier to prune the type IIs in the spring. Instead of having to to painstakingly removing each individual stem that has suffered dieback during the winter, you just lop their tops off!

I usually order about 10 clems from Donahue every spring. I pot them up and keep until late summer and then plant out in the garden. Yes, for $10-11 I could buy a gallon size from box store but
1. I can not find varieties I want
2. Root system is just about the same once you let Donahue grow for litlle bit
3.They generally seems do better for me than clems from other stores.
I did not buy anything form Brushwood or other places so can not compare.

nckvilledudes -

I cut everything back in late fall as most of my clematis are growing on wood trellis and I don't want the vines holding on to the snow. I know that it is recommended to cut back in late winter, but cutting them back when I do works better for me.

Why do they recommend cutting in late winter?

I believe that advice might have originated in England where the winters are milder. You wouldn't want to cut back your clematis in that type of zone too early or you would stimulate new growth which would get zapped when it got colder in later winter.

For the past few years I have always cut mine back in late December. The important thing to consider is that the plant should be dormant prior to cutting back or you might stimulate growth. As a result, the warmer the zone you live in, the later you should wait to cut them back. Conversely, the colder the zone you live in the sooner you can cut them back without stimulating them to put out foliage at the wrong time.

Janet

Could you just cut off the tendils holding the clems to the trellises and lay the vines on the ground for the Winter? Then when the Forsythias bloom, around May 1st for me, would be the best time to cut. You should be able to see leaf buds and could tell more easily where to prune.

Marie in ME

The English, of course. I always assumed people were just following the same schedule as roses.

Marie - I think the vines would break if I bent them to touch the ground. Winter pruning isn't a problem for me, as I've been treating 2's like 3's by semi-hard pruning everything once the ground starts freezing. Mid April, I do the final pruning and cleaning up. I might change that once my newer vines are more established.

lindalana,
How do you buy from Donahue? I browsed their web site and did not find any info about prices, shipping etc.

I did the same thing but was afraid to ask in case the ordering info was obvious. LOL

You have to request a catalog. The pricing structure is in the information you receive and the prices go down the more you purchase.

Thank you! I just ordered their catalog.

I went to Lowes they didn't have any of the Patio Clems let alone any marked down.....bummer.

That is a bummer BorS.

No patio clematis here either--just the same old same old and not on sale either. Come to expect that in this area hence the need for mail order.

Our Lowe's has the same 3 or 4 varieties in small pots every year. Rarely, I can find a clematis other than Henryii or Jackmanii at one of the nurseries locally. I wonder how on earth they decide which Lowe's get the good stuff? :-)

I have to mail order too.

Carol

My Lowe's had gallon sized Clems that were nice but none that I wanted. Crystal Fountain, Ruutel, Nelly Moser, Elsa Spath and I don't remember who else. The plain ones were $11.99 and the "special" ones were $13.99.

Carol, I think the good Lowes, especially in areas where gardening is a real pasttime and there are specialty nurseries who carry the more unusual clematis, will try and compete with the nurseries and carry more than the normal stuff we tend to see. With no specialty nurseries closeby, there is no incentive for them to order anything other than the typical LFH types. Also, the more knowledgeable the gardening staff, and the ones in my area still think the ELF hybrids are the end all and be all, the more likely they will order stuff that is unusual.

One point to consider in addition is that the management knows that what sells are big gaudy plants that are in full bloom when the planting season is in full gear. The ELFs tend to fill that bill in my area as the type IIIs bloom later in the season than do the type IIs.

BorS, even your Lowe's has a better selection. I'm trying to remember exactly what they had here the other day. I saw Asao, The President, and Nelly Moser. These are the same ones they have pretty much every year with one or two additions. Nothing wrong with these at all, just would be nice to see some variety. The nurseries are no better. I envy all the cool, huge nurseries located in your area.

Miguel, that theory makes perfect sense but wouldn't you think that someone would figure out that since no one else is selling different plants that maybe they could do very well with them? The nurseries here do carry just a few ELF's for the most part. Of course, my reasoning comes from an entirely selfish viewpoint and has little to do with their bottom line :-)

Carol

Portland does have a fabulous selection of nurseries to choose from. They are getting better all the time too.

If your local nurseries don't have what you are looking for. Make sure you ask or tell someone. Input from customers does count.

This most likely won't work on Lowe's or Home Depot though, don't think the garden center employees have much control over what corporate buys and ships to them. Could be wrong though....

Our Lowes is always full off tropical plants that won't survive here without a greenhouse and they aren't signed as such.

Carol, my personal belief is that the smaller mom and pop type nurseries around here are afraid to take the financial chance to risk purchasing something that possibly won't sell. I walk into most of the smaller ones here and they think I am speaking in tongues when I ask if they carry any of the type 3 viticellas.

BorS, you are spoiled living in the PNW where the great nurseries abound. Try moving here and you will see what I mean. You would go into gardening culture shock!

It's been my experience that a lot of nursery owners, especially those who specialize in landscaping, don't know much about Clematis. I've been on the hunt for non-vining types and have encounter a lot of blank stares, in a addition to having to pronounce Clematis incorrectly so they understand me. Yesterday, a guy actually said to me "you mean, clemantis?"

Some folks will buy anything just because it's on sale!! You pay more for a plant that has patient rights and you will pay more for a plant that has been carried over to the next growing season. That plant will have a much stronger root system and more than likely been properly taken care of. Box stores can comprise/destroy a nicely grown plant in a very short time. Remember they are plant brokers. They don't know didley about what they sell and don't care if something gets watered when it needs it. They never fertilize and that's probably a good thing. Support your local nurseries when ever you can. If you look at the postings on this forum most are HELP I bought this half dead don't know the variety clematis from you know where, for only a quarter. You get what ya pay for suck it up, take the loss and next time buy from a reputable grower not a plant broker.

I agree Janet. You wouldn't believe the number of nursery specialists who talk about planting clematis bulbs!!! What???

I also agree gianty. You get what you pay for. Sometimes the "bargains" work out and other times they don't. Unfortunately, the failures cause the perpetuation of the myth that clematis are difficult plants to grow.

It would be nice to "support" my local nursery when it comes to Clematis..but around here..I can't hardly find any...Lowe's, Walmart have those itty bitty orange pots of them from Roseville..I've had success with those but they don't even compare to the Ones I've bought from Dan,Debbie,Murray or Chad..I would rather pay $16.00+ for a well rooted clematis from any of them for something I really really just gotta have!!..It's really strange when I go to the nurseries for they call me the clematis lady..from all the times I've asked if they have any or when will they get some or can I talk to the manager to ask if they'll add them to their inventory..I was SO SHOCKED this year...I saw Lowe's had ONE-GALLON clematis but to my dismay..they were one's I had...I did pay 10bucks for a one-gallon "Snow Queen" that my climbing rosa "Don Juan" asked me to pick up for him..I think they shall be divine together!!...Jeanne

Yes, you have to request catalog and then I submit my order over the phone. If you buy 10 plants or more it is $8.50 per plant. Shipping somewhere $10-12.
Plant will come in 2 in pots/ most of them/ and half of the pot will be roots so once you gently straighten them out plant can fill out 4 in pot easily. Some varieties are more robust and vigorous than others so you have to evaluate, but most of mine I replant into one gallon pot.
It usually fills up one gallon pot in couple of months so you ready to plant out then. I had better luck from replanting clems than planing them right away in the ground- could be because my beds are established ones and clems do not get enough sun that way.

I stopped at another Lowe's and a Wal*Mart today. No Patio Clems. Dang it.

Call the garden manager at Lowes to complain.

My Lowes is still charging full price for the Patio Clems. Maybe they will reduce the price when the holiday weekend is over.

Did you go out back and look in the DUMPSTER?