Hi bleudolphin-

I received my Duchess of Albany from Bluestone today and was surprised at how small the size of the plant is. I have never ordered a small clematis like this and was wondering how to care for it too. Should I pot her in potting soil and in what size pot? Should I bury half the plant as it is only 4" tall and has 1 stem and another tiny stem coming from the crown. I was hoping by fall I would be able to put it in the ground but how big do I need it to get before I make a permanent home for the Duchess? How about feeding her; or maybe bonemeal in the bottom of the pot when I replant her initially? How long before I can set her in the morning sun?

Hopefully Ncksvilledudes, Jeanne, BoS, or anyone else will respond to our inquiries.

Good Luck!! what type of clematis did you get from Bluestone?

suebot in CT

I got 2 Duchess of Albany which are very small, 2 Venosa Violacea which were the biggest out of all of them, but was still small and 2 Asao. I have mine potted in 8 inch pots. I plan on leaving them in pots for at least 1 season possibly 2. I added some rose fertilizer when I potted them. I am going to baby them and hope all 6 make it. Got my fingers crossed.

I got an Avant Garde last spring from Bluestone (along with 3 other plants which didn't survive the summer). I am happy to say that this AG is now 5 feet tall and growing like gangbusters (I deny convention and plant directly into the ground as I travel in the summer and leaving plants in pots means a quick drying death).

Don't expect flowers this year, but with care they'll look good next spring/summer.

~Chills

I ordered 5 Clematis from them last summer (end of June, very late). Following advices from this forum, I planted them in 1.2 G pots. All of them filled pots with roots by September! 3 out of 5 bloomed for me. They were 3-5 feet by fall, but I pinched them several times. ALL OF THEM SURVIVED HARD FROSTS IN THE SAME POTS! Some Clemmies I bought from other places did not :-(
So, overall, I am happy with them. A couple of things:
I had to feed them after heavy rains with Ironite, because nutrients were washed out from the pots.
I would plant them in the garden in fall, I just did not have a garden at that time. This year, after a harsh winter we had, they were not so healthy in pots. I had to prune them hard and feed them with Nitrogen and Iron again.
I ordered from Bluestone 4 more this year. I guess I forgot how small they were, so I also was suprised ;-). The root system is nice however. In fact, it is better, than the Home Depot's 1 gallon Clemmies have.
Alina.

I've bought quite a few from Bluestone and they are small. I remember the first order I received from them, I was very surprised at their size. I have always potted them up into one gallon containers in the spring and planted them in the fall. Several of them had roots that had grown out of the one gallon pots into the ground when I picked them up. I keep the pots placed in between established shrubs or roses so that they get sun but also some shade since it gets so hot here in the summer. They have all done well and I have yet to lose one of them. Even though small, they are healthy and grow quickly. Well, as quick as clematis grow....:-)

Carol

Alina and carolfin-

So glad to hear you have had good results w/Bluestone's clems. When you potted them up in 1 gallon containers did you plant them deep? Did you use bonemeal or anything at the base of the pot? I bought Miracle Grow Moisture Control potting soil because I needed some potting soil for inside so I plant to pot up my DoA in that.

Please let me know how deeply you planted your babies as I want a good start for my Duchess.

Thanks,
suebot in CT

I planted mine in pots exactly the same way that I would plant them in the ground, with the crown covered. I did not add anything to my pots and I used a potting mix instead of potting soil. The only fertilizer I used on mine was a product called root stimulator that is essentially a very mild, dilute fertilizer. I am sure that everyone has their own particular way to pot up and grow out plants and that many different ways will produce the same results. This is just the way that I do it.

Carol

I also used MiracleGro Moisture Control Mix. It works really well for our hot summer days. I think it is loaded enough with fertilizer for several first months, so I did not add anything. I potted them slighly lower than they were in original pots, just to cover the crown.
Here are some last summer pictures:

Arctic Queen

{{gwi:236421}}

Duchess of Albany

{{gwi:236422}}

Crystal Fountain

{{gwi:236423}}

I would definitely plant them deeper in the temporary pots and I would pinch them back when you plant them.

I received my Bluestone clems on Friday (Duchess of Albany, Huldine, Mme Julia Correvon, Venosa Violacea, and Gravetye Beauty) and by today they had already doubled in size--and I haven't even planted them yet! They're small but vibrant plants, so I am happy. :)

I also received my order: 'Claire de Lune', 'Josephine', 'Florida Sieboldii', 'Princess Diana' and some perennials.
'Princess Diana' is not looking very good - small yellowish leaves. All 10 other plants are in perfect condition. I replanted PD into a bigger pot, I am sure it will recover. If not, their warranty works really well, they will replace it or refund money. I wish they had more varieties on that sale...