BIG experiment

Today when i was sleuthing an internet connection problem, i had to go to a utility room to check sometihng. lo and behold i found two clematis roots from silver star that had been in there for over a month. in the dark. with no water. my hubby unpacked an order while i was out of town and neglected to move them outdoors with the other part of the order. i just thought they had been out of stock.
long story short, we shall remain married and march onward to our 28th anniversary. i have taken the plants outside,watered them, slit the plastic for air and tomorrow will cut them off completely and plant them. we shall see.
i think they might come back.
attached is the photo evidence of the dead looking darlings who are at least drinking and outside of their prison for the first time!
this is my kind of challenge and i know you will want to know the outcome of this little soap opera!

What do the roots look like? Glad you are letting your husband stay!!

you could always tell your hubby that he could make it up to you by replacing them......then you could get 2 more (different kinds) and hope that these come back ok......

^_^

Superb thinking, Carolyn!

i haven't had the courage to look at the roots yet..just watered when i found them. i plan to plant them today, so i will get a good look and take a pic.
i have to chalk this up to the fee for getting him to open the boxes when they arrive!!!
gggrrrrrr
i am interested in wether they live, so i am looking at it as the chance to find that out!!!!

I bet it will work and the plants will live and thrive.

i have a feeling they will do. if so it is a testament to the incredible, incredible clematis ....i can't think of a plant that offers more and has the beauty they do in all zones.
here is villa de lyon and rubro marginata. don't know why more people do not grow rubro marginata..it blooms earlier than sweet autumn and , while very very vigorous, has a very fine leaf that does not overwhelm other
clematis. it is a great filler and combo clematis. and the blooms are so pretty, even tho very tiny.
guess it is because it is not widely available.

forgot to attach the rubro marginata pic. here it is.

Wonderful, Niobe! They look like shooting stars.

yes, rubro does look like a shooting star..and the are thousand of blooms. thousands. masses. it is a great , easy , versatile clematis..i highly recommend it.

ok. i left the newspaper on and opened the plastic bag when i found the 2 orphans form silver star in a dark utility room where they had lain for 6 weeks.
soaked the bundles thoroughly and kept the bundles very moist, almost soaked from friday minutes after discovery till this morning. 2 days.
here is what the roots looked like when i opened the bundles this morning before planting.
for planting we made a "swimming pool" in the hole by filling it completely with water then immersing the orphans in the pool. as it started to drain we added the amended soil, back filling as it drained until they were planted.allanah and abundance are now in the ground and i will re post any sign of growth.
the roots actually looked pretty normal after their rehydration. can't wait to see if they grow. if so i will let debbie know. if not, will keep quiet about my clematis abuse and hope the authorities don't prosecute me.

forgot to attach the pics of the roots after hydration

here they are , this time for sure

here is the other one

Oh those look like they will be fine!! I cannot wait to see pictures of them in another month or two!!

i thought they looked good too. maybe the 6 week rest in a dark place was good for them?
i think clematis has amazing survival capabilities!
i promise to track their progress!

Niobe, based on the new growth I can see in the first picture and how good the roots look in the other pictures, I am sure they will do just fine. Keep us updated!

posted this report by accident on another thread.
allanah is alive. 4 days in the ground following a 2 day rehydration following 6 weeks wrapped in paper and plastic, forgotten in a utility room.........
she is showing green. her sister orphan abundance not awake yet, but hope is there based on this.
allanh's first breath for you to enjoy and be in awe of the power of a clematis along with me.

That proves the quality of Debbie's clems,I have bought 8 of hers,and they are great root systemswhen you get them.Glad the DH survived too.LOL

allanah is really going to town. recap. ship mid may. 6 wks in dark utility room, forgotten (not by me)
2 days rehydration, in ground very wet few days before end june. here is allanah on july 11. no sign of green yet on the other orphan, abundance. i had left her brown stems about 2 inches high. today i cut them off to the ground to see if it helps her along.

Congrat on allanah. I hope abundance get in gear soon.

me too just checked them this morning. no sign of abundance, you should see allanah tho. she is almost as big as some of her peers who got unpacked and planted the same week!
will post her again next week. amazing plant. one of my best clem stories ever!
my husbands reaction " i knew they would be ok and you would find them"
whatever!

well, to continue the saga little allanah is growing with amazing vigor. here is a photo taken today showing the multiple stems, bushy habit and good height considering her 6 week dry dark trauma.
abundance still has not appeared, but she is watered faithfully and checked several times a week and i still hope for the shoots of green.

I'm so happy for you! Congratulations on your great success. How's the other one doing?

abundance has not yet shown any sign of growth. i am hopeful and water and check on a good schedule. waiting to see that strong green shoot that tells me she too weathered the abuse.

Any sign of abundance, yet?

nope abundance as dark as can be. allanah flourishing, no blooms, which is fine. but good growth and multiple stems.
i am lucky to have even one survive. with fall coming on i still hold out hope she will peek up and say"hey i made it"

allanah is still thriving...about 3 feet tall.
abundamce has not yet showed any sign of life. i water her faithfully, and topped the soil up with amended soil and a prayer yesterday.
will not give up till next spring.

Awesome! Good job Niobe.....

allanah still thrives, but abundance has shown no sign of life. i will not give up till spring, but if no growth occurs by spring i will order another abundance from silver spring. allanah looks great. amazing after 6 weeks in a dry cardboard box in the dark!

niobe:

do you have silver springs web site???

That is an incredible plant to come back from that adventure... Still hoping for the best on your other one,,, but then maybe next year you will have such a wonderful surprise.

Janet

oops, made a booboo
it is silver star, wasn't paying attention to my typing.over the last 8 years i have ordered from just about everywhere. dilver star is my number one choice (had my first plants from them this year).
they ship in a simple packaging, the roots are large and easy to plant. highly recommended.

silverstarvinery.com

thanks so much for the link.

I'll be checking them out.

Janet

oh niobe what have ya done to me now..... I see a rather large number of clems that I'm feelin the need to add.... thank goodness it is too late to order anything else this year.....lol

Janet

for those of you that heard the tale of abundance and allanah last year. left in a box for over a month in the dark after arrival.....abundance still showing no sign of growth, but allanah's stem from last year showing leaf buds already.
will wait for pics, don't want to jinx her. and they are tiny , but she is alive!

Great!

That's fantastic. Is hubby replacing your departed baby for you?

I keep hubby out of the gardening loop as much as possible. this is my cost of getting him to receive, open and water little plants when i am on a business trip. ancient proverb, "hubbies involved in gardening make mountains out of molehills!"

Smart woman! :-)

Having been married for over 25 years, (first marriage very brief, second lengthy) i now feel qualified to give advice as follows
in first marriage you nag your hubbie to pick up his sox

in second marriage you realize it is less energy to pick up the sox as you walk by