Comments regarding Silver Star Vinery

I recently received 6 Clematis from Silver Star, without exception they were healthy, well grown, and well packaged plants. I have been ordering from this company for four years, receiving approximately 4 or 5 plants a year. I have always been pleased and have never had a plant that did not thrive. Debbie communicates promptly and is a wealth of information. The plants are always correctly labeled, unlike many big box stores.

Posted on September 20, 2014, updated October 22, 2017
This was the first time I was purchasing a clematis and it couldn't have been a better experience, thanks to Debbie. I called to ask a couple of newbie questions and she was helpful in every way. She also briefly followed up with an e-mail. When the clematis arrived, it was exactly as promised on the website: the rootball was large, there were several vines, all properly pruned, wonderfully packaged that there was absolutely no damage, and all else was exactly as I read in the books that should be expected from the best growers and sellers. I can't wait to see my Etoile Violette growing and will certainly order more from the Silver Creek Vinery in the future. Debbie is not just a seller, you could see that she loves this beautiful plant and cares that others are happy clematis growers as well.

Posted on May 1, 2010, updated April 19, 2017
I ordered 2 clematis through this company. I wasn't as impressed with the packaging, as one clematis had lots of bent/broken foliage and fell apart in my hand when I tried to unwrap it out of the newspaper. However all was forgiven when I realized that it had probably been sort of mashed by the GODZILLA sized root ball of the other clematis shipped with it. Both plants are showing new growth already and looking really healthy after planting in my garden.

Let me just start by saying I love Debbie and her sweet, self-deprecating humor.Her love of clematis is contagious and I have enjoyed so many clematis from her massive selections over the years. (I even show pics of my blooms to people in my local nurseries!) Her website is awesome with tons of information and tips, accurate pics, and a dollop of sweet-natured humor. If you want to choose from a huge variety of vines that will arrive wonderfully packaged, all at a reasonable price, then I suggest you run(don't walk) to your computer and start enjoying this experience!

I’m not a big fan of flowers. But when I needed some kind of vine to run up trellises to shade my home, I read on somebody’s blog about Silver Star Vinery. That was awhile ago, and I’m mad at myself for not saying before now what an incredibly enlightening and refreshing experience it was to “meet” Debbie and explore “clems” for my first time. Not only are every one of her Clems root-robust and healthy, but they’re carefully packaged and tracked every step of the way. The BIGGEST surprise was learning about “super holes” – energy-intensive preps that I now use for EVERY ONE of my new plants, including tomatoes!
And I now actually enjoy my clems! Debbie started me with the hardiest, least-likely-to-fail “Jenny”. Since then I’ve added “Diana’s Delight”, “Caroline” and my new baby this year – “Princess Diana”.
Specialty gardeners who love and cherish each plant are rare crafts folks who care for their buyers’ successes as much as the prospering of each plant they sell. An incredible combination these days, and one which I am truly honored to have experienced in my gardening travels. Somehow in my Mr.Spock approach to what and why I need a plant, has evolved, and Silver Star Vinery is much of that process.
Thank you, Debbie! I LOVE your clems!

Over a period of several years I never got a bad plant from Debbie. With the one gallon/nearly one gallon root ball you beat the prices compared to the 4.5" purveyors. I recently visited her nursery and you won't find nicer people than Debbie and her husband. Just waiting for spring to order again.

Ordered a Blue Angel and John Huxtable several weeks ago - was shocked to see that the roots were up to 24" long! This puts the lie to "first year sleep, second year creep, third year leap". Blue Angel has taken hold nicely; Huxtable is snoozing because it is in a spot that is quite shaded at this time of year but it looks good. I consider Debbie's selection to be (relatively) limited but to still have many attractive offerings. This is obviously a labor of love for her.

For years I have ordered from Silver Star Vinery and have been thrilled with Debbie's clematis and the very special care she gives them. Her online ordering is easy and she has great descriptions of all her clematis vines. I just received my fall order and they were big beautiful healthy plants with large root balls. Silver Star Vinery satisfies my clematis addiction, great company.

I received my plants/clematis from Debbie yesterday and was so pleasantly surprised at the packing/health and age of them. Since my early order this year back in January, I had a couple of inquiries of Debbie and she responded in a very positive manner. I would highly recommend looking into ordering from Silver Star!

I ordered 6 different clematis from Silver Star Vinery after seeing very good reviews. I have ordered clematis from probably 5 or 6 different places and have always been disappointed with the size and quality of the plants. Not here! The rootballs were huge and the plants were healthy and large. I am extremely happy and will be ordering again next year!

This company is wonderful. I have never taken the time to write feedback about any company until now. Debbie emailed me several times to offer advice about plants for my area and answered all my questions. The plants were healthy and had wonderful root systems. I planted them and they are taking off already. It is obvious that Debbie loves these plants and this is more than just a business to her. Wonderful selection also. Will definitely order from her again.

Posted on April 24, 2007, updated May 7, 2013
Excellent, large, healthy plants. The root systems are amazing. The quart size root system has large, healthy roots that will fill the entire pot. Carefully covered tops (plastic pot to protect the green growth). I ordered 6 and just ordered another 4 yesterday.

Can't say enough about this company. Fast ship, unless she's doing shows and is a bit behind, but her personality is great as well. Very knowledgeable and fun to talk with. Debbie knows everything about clematis and it shows in the product you recieve. I PROMISE you will not be disappointed and will never buy box store clematis again.

If you have questions you should give her a call or email her before ordering. I learned that after I picked colors like liked I needed to learn about their growing habits and she helped me find the perfect plant for my needs, lighting, soil, etc. and explained the difference in #2 & #3 which some need cut back and others don't - which I would never have known unless I talked to Debbie.

Kathy

My experience with Silver Star Vinery was more than satisfactory. While ordering I let Debbie know in her comments field that it was my first go at clematis and she kindly advised to consider changing one vine to a more hardy one for my zone 4 garden, then she stayed in touch and helped me through my decision. The vines arrived exactly when expected according to her emails. I have no doubt that with proper care they with thrive!

Posted on March 8, 2013, updated April 20, 2013
I have had a wonderful experience with Silver Star Vinery. Debbie with Silver Star Vinery was so helpful. She responded almost immediately to my e-mails pertaining to which clematis would be right for me in hot and humid Louisiana. I have ordered clematis from many other vendors, but never received such healthy clematis with huge root balls. Other vendors I have bought from in the past have sent me very young cuttings of clematis which had a poor root system, but not Silver Star Vinery. The clematis from Silver Star Vinery were clearly several years old, and they were very well-established and in beautiful, healthy condition. I would highly recommend Silver Star Vinery to anyone considering buying clematis!!! The clematis I received from Silver Star Vinery are amazing --- the best clematis I have ever bought from any where to date!!! All I can say is "WOW"!!!

I just received my order today and am thrilled with the quality of the plant and the size of the rootball. Debbie is wonderful to work with. She responds quickly and I received my order 3 days after placing it. I am looking forward to seeing the plants in bloom and will be sure to order from Silver Star again in the future.

The plants and the customer service I received from silver star vinery was excellent. I was contacted by Deb saying the variety of clematis I had ordered were not in great shape, so she assisted me in selecting a variety that I now think is a much better fit with what I intended. The plants were shipped promptly and arrived in excellent condition, with ginormous rootballs, and started to grow after about a week. I also received a free "seedling" that had a rootball bigger than some clematis I've ordered from other nurseries. I highly recommend silver star vinery, and will definitely only buy clematis from them in the future.

The plants I received were exceptional. They had a very large rootball with some of best soil I've seen. The plants came in the mail in very good condition, and received email for order and delivery promptly. Even received a free smaller plant considered an unknown seedling, which I think will be exciting to see what it will turn out to be. I am very pleased with this company, the owner is very knowledgeable and caring. I definitely will be back for more.

I partly agree with RIVER FARM, I adored this nursery. Debbie is very informative person, I like her strory about how she starts this business. I perfers to leave positive rating for now. In reality, root ball is huge as description but little bit disappointment on plants compare to Donahue's clematis. Not very active growth filled with gallon of potting soil. However, shipping is right on schedule, price not so bad. Communication is extremely great. I potted them last weekend with special care. Hope they're doing well.

I realize that Silver Star Vinery is adored by many Clematis lovers; however, my experience has not been as positive. Of the 26 clematis I have planted in the last several years, 4 have died. Two of them were from Silver Star Vinery. Over the course of 3 years (2010, 2011, 2012) I have ordered 8 clematis from this business. None of them have really taken off yet, and two bit-the-dust within the first year of planting. I did mention to the owner that my plants had died within months of planting but received no offer of a refund. Clematis purchased from the big box stores, other nurseries and from native plant sales have all thrived. Furthermore, the 6 clematis that I bought from Chalk Hill's end-of-business sale were thriving within a year of planting.

I do admit that the personal service is good and the selection is fantastic. Nonethless, I recommend that new customers take it slow and not get carried away with the impressively varied selection. It is very doubtful that I will purchase from Silver Star Vinery again.

Posted on April 25, 2011, updated February 7, 2013
Ordered way more than I should have the past couple of years. The best ever clems. Makes an addict proud. Fantastic root system. Debbie is great. Just the absolute best service and product. Thanks lots. Angela

I've been ordering clematises from Debbie for about five years. Her product is so superior (no other supplier consistently delivers such robust growth) that at this point I really don't use anyone else.

Ordered 4 clematis on a Sunday and they shipped out on Monday! Nice plants planted a week ago and they are already .putting on new growth. Very pleased with communication too and I have put in 2 more orders!

Debbie is the best and so are her clematis! I ordered 19 clematis for myself and an additional 6 as gifts for family members this spring. Each and every one of them is thriving. The plants were all packaged so well. Debbie was always quick to respond to my e-mails and was extremely helpful in helping me pick the right clematis for my individual family members (different planting zones, sun exposure, etc.).
I have already placed an order for fall, because I am so impressed with the quality and selection of Silver Star's plants.
I can't imagine ordering from anyone else, I'm sold!

Posted on June 26, 2008, updated May 24, 2012
I ordered a clemetis last year from Debbie and she sent me an extra for no additional cost which was greatly appreciated. Both plants arrived with very good root systems. One is doing great - thriving even in a mostly shady spot. The other is not doing as well but that is owing entirely to the poor sites I have selected (we recently moved so I wasn't sure what plants would be appearing this spring and large plants kept popping up around the clemetis and choking it out). I've had to move it several times and still the little guy just keeps on growing back. I would not hesitate to recommend ordering from Silver Star and look forward to ordering from them again myself!

Perle d'Azure and Etoile Violette arrived exactly on time today and went immediately into their prepared sites.

Both were pruned short with the roots securely wrapped in plastic, cushioned by a jacket of newspaper, and fit together snugly into a priority mail box. I received an email alert, a tracking link, a projected delivery date and voila! right on time. (There was no annoying extra charge for including a second clematis as with some companies.)

I'm glad the holes were a full 24" deep or more because, as promised, the root balls were very sizable and expanded quite a bit after manipulation.

Perle will be ascending an established New Dawn climbing rose planted a couple feet away on the opposite side of an 8" x 8" post and Violette will be working her way up an Awakening about twenty feet away on the same sunny arbor.

Lots of support and decent shade for the roots.

Great plants, excellent root systems, and at a reasonable price. The trick now is to water deeply but not too frequently, so the roots don't rot.

I have been growing clematis for a number of years and have well over a hundred varieties. Unfortunately I was not previously aware of the existance of Silver Star Vinery. I was recently in search of "Perle D'Azur" . Itis not an easy one to obtain and is renown as being slow to start . All the more reason for locating a source that provides a more mature plant.

I just ordered two from SSV and was very pleased with both the quality of the plants and the awesome service. It is an exceptional source for clematis and I only wish that it was better advertised so that more people would have access to their wonderful stock. I note that both Brushwood and Garden Crossings are in your top 30. There is no doubt that Silver Star Vinery would be there too if it was better known as I found the quality of the plants to be superior.

after reading all the positive reviews, I ordered 4 clematis from them. When they arrived, the plants are all cut back, 2 of them have the largest rootball I every get from mail order, yet another 2 are just normal size wrapped in loose soil.

After planting, 3 of them send out new shoots and 1 did not( 1 of the 2 small ones), after wait patiently for one month, I finally dig it out and found the roots already rotten.

So, to be fair, I gave them neutral, the positive is they have large selections and some of the plants are big, negative part is I can't get reship for my dead plant.

Having received my clematis I ordered from Silver Star Vinery in May, I've waited before posting a review to see how over a couple of months time how the clematis would do.
After failing to get Huldine from another mail order source, I decided to try Silver Star as I had not ordered from them previously. Her response time in following up on the request and sending the clematis was very speedy. The clematis she sent had a great rootball and already appeared to have been cut back.
It has grown so much and I've pinched it back 2 times already. It is now blooming and seems to be growing okay.
Would definitely buy from again.

I have purchased Clematis from box stores, quality nurseries and quality mail order sources, and the four plants I purchased from Silver Star Vinery were superior to any. They arrived ready to take off running and did just that!

Excellent quality plants that settle into the garden easily and grow well. Nice selection of plants, some of which aren't available elsewhere in the US to my knowledge. Superb customer service. I have ordered twice from Silver Star and will be ordering from Debbie again in the future.

Posted on June 27, 2010, updated May 22, 2011
I ordered 2 clematis plants about a month ago. Again slightly hesitant of mail ordering, but once again proven its the way to order. Debbie has such a wide variety of plants, and the website is so extensive & full of info. When my clematis plants arrived, ( exactly when Debbie said they would) I was thrilled at the size. The leaves & vines were nice sizes, but the root balls were huge. Definitely quality plants!! I am pleased to say both clematis are doing fine, even with all the downpour of rain we are getting here. I will order from her again!

This is the first year I've ordered from Silver Star Vinery, but it won't be the last! The two clematis I ordered were carefully packed, very healthy, with HUGE roots. They were some of the nicest clematis plants I've ever ordered. The service was great too. My husband had to go for out-of-town surgery and I wrote to see if they could delay shipping - they wrote back immediately and waited until I got back home to ship. Great folks to deal with - beautiful plants.

Posted on May 1, 2011, updated May 13, 2011
Ordered two clematis and was extremely happy with what I received. Very well-rooted, and much better than what I typically see in local nurseries. Excellent communication and my order was shipped very quickly. I'm ordering more.

I found Silver Star Vinery through Dave's Garden; I was searching for Clematis "Gillian Blades." SSV did not have it in stock, but I was so impressed by the reviews, and SSV's beautifully detailed web site, that I took a chance and ordered four other plants: Etoile Violette, Venosa Violacea, Crystal Fountain and Clair de Lune. The plants arrived exactly when Debbie said they would, with well-developed roots and lush, healthy greenery. Two of them have buds, which should open this week because Debbie packed everything so carefully. A great experience...I will order again.

Posted on April 2, 2009, updated April 18, 2011
What an amazing experience! The two clems I ordered just arrived and I am overwhelmed with the size and quality of the plants. Debbie took the time to help me with my selections and I greatly appreciated that, but I'm even more impressed with the care and pride she takes in providing the best mail order plants I've ever been lucky enough to receive. I can't wait to order from Debbie with Silver Star Vinery again. Anne in Austin

Posted on April 24, 2010, updated April 9, 2011
Posted on July 4, 2009, updated April 24, 2010
Silver Star is without a doubt the best source for clematis I have found. I started out ordering a few this spring and before I knew it I had ordered 30! Before I placed each order I would email Debbie Fischer with questions....she would always graciously respond, quickly I might add, with suggestions and recommendations. The plants are superior in size to any I have ever received and all quickly began to settle in and shoot forth new growth! SSV website is a joy to puruse....I cannot wait until shipping starts again this fall! I have many more to order! Whatever I am looking to order I will always look to SSV first!

First-rate plants and top-notch customer service. I ordered 10 plants from Debbie. They were packed well, and arrived in great shape. The root systems were humongous - some measuring up to 14 inches in diameter.
Debbie responded to my questions in a timely manner, and was very helpful with recommendations based upon my planting sites.
I'm running out of room, so I'm switching to containers so I can order more.

I ordered two clematis on Sunday and decided to order two more on Monday.
The four clematis were shipped that same day and they arrived two days later.
I was very pleased with how fast my order was handled and even more pleased with the quality of the plants. Very healthy roots and foliage. I would not hesitate to order from Silver Star Vinery again.

I just recieved two Twilight Clematis. They came in great condition. Debbie sent plenty of useful information, with even more being available on her site. I will never order Clematis from anyone else again!