" I get a lot of advice from a guy at my local garden centre ".
Sounds about right, people buying small rooted cuttings from the corned beef merchants, by-passing the established garden centres who sell ' proper ' clematis, then asking them for cultural advice.
I'm sorry if you take offence, but I think you will find that I have given more advice on these pages about growing clematis than most other people. Just like ' the guy at the garden centre '
I'm not generally quick to take offence, I have no time for the perpetually offended, but sometimes I find your manner a little high handed.
Clearly you are a big name in the clematis world but as a member of a public gardening forum you need to be aware that not everyone has the same advantages. Sometimes "the guy at the corned beef merchants" is all people have access to. I, for one, live in the back of beyond and don't even have "him" to ask. I rely on this site for a lot of my gardening advice and I appreciate it with sugar rather than vinegar. If there is no sugar available, bland will do.
As a some-time lurker, clematis newbie but now proud owner of 10 clematis with cuttings on the go I would like to say thanks Richard for all the advice, and most of all, reassurance that clematis growing can be straightforward.
I also have received some good advice on here regarding my clematis - not just from - but also from Richard and many other kind people who willing impart their knowledge to those of us who aren't in the know. I would like to think that on this forum there is no hierarchy, we are all gardeners trying to do the best we can for our plants and most importantly to enjoy learning, making errors and producing the most spectacular plants - isn't nature wonderful!
Hello there and apologies, Richard. First of all I realise I shouldn't have said 'the guy', I should have said 'the gentleman at..' or 'the gardener at...' or just 'my local garden centre..'. I'm not going to name the helpful, lovely person and the point was they helped and I was trying to pass on what he told me to GD.
Secondly I've spend literally hundreds at this GC buying everything from plants to compost to planters to bird feeders to books to tools - they know me, and offer me advice voluntarily. I didn't 'bypass' the local GC to buy clematis from the corn-beef merchant and I didn't ask my local GC specifically for clematis advice after bypassing them for a clematis! It so happened I went in for compost and then he started telling me about his garden and his clematis Elizabeth, and then voluntarily offered me general advice. He was happy I resuced the little cuttings from the corn-beef merchant and says he often does the same. I would have happily bought a clematis from him if he'd had the varieties I wanted.
Thirdly, as clematis is your speciality I can understand your frustration at the corn-beef merchant and at us who go for plug plant offers and corn-beef merchants, but consider there are always negatives and positives. Negatives that they are not giving enough advice and positive they're bringing beautiful clematis to the mass market (sorry I know this is a negative too depending on perspective). Not everyone can afford GC, online or flower show prices. I went to a well known rose garden recently and saw something beautiful and asked what it was. So many people were asking about it. They said it was viticella Duchess of Albany and I went to find it in the garden centre section. It was £19 and didn't even look as healthy as the corn-beef merchant's cuttings. Why would I spend £19 on this when I can spend less on the same thing? That said there are still lots of varieties I want and so I'm not going to bypass anyone.
Apologies not needed, a bit of banter is good for us all, just to say I do not have a problem with people shopping at Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl, Tesco whatever, we all do it. I have a small clematis nursery where I supply mainly the ' anoraks ' of the clematis world, always looking for something rare and unusual, lots of weird stuff I grow from seed and I breed many new cultivars, so I do not see the supermarkets as competition. I do not use this forum as a platform to sell plants. I just think that the vendors should supply some cultural tips when purchasing plants from them, sorry if I make it sound offensive.
Every day of my life I learn a bit more about the clematis genus, what I know would fill a book, what I don't know would fill a library
I went to a lecture last month by Dr Mary Toomey, world renowned clematarian, she gave the following advice when planting a new clematis " First year sleep, second year creep, third year leap ". In other words don't expect instant.
Incidentally clematis Duchess of Albany is not viticella, it is texensis, priced at £10 at most good nurseries.
Thanks for the clarification and the advice Richard. I will have a look for this texensis and also I can see you have an online shop. Have you already published a book? If not, why not? Then we can all read it and not ask stupid questions. Or then again you don't want to give away all your secrets
For Guernsey Donkey 2 as it's not working in the PM....
Pots are pretty small....also don't think I buried them deep enough. Also not very good pot trellises. Not sure if this is okay but leaving them in here for now.
Posts
...and when they ask for advice on forums like this one they get snotty comments like that.
A touch condescending don't you think Richard?
I'm sorry if you take offence, but I think you will find that I have given more advice on these pages about growing clematis than most other people. Just like ' the guy at the garden centre '
I'm not generally quick to take offence, I have no time for the perpetually offended, but sometimes I find your manner a little high handed.
Clearly you are a big name in the clematis world but as a member of a public gardening forum you need to be aware that not everyone has the same advantages. Sometimes "the guy at the corned beef merchants" is all people have access to. I, for one, live in the back of beyond and don't even have "him" to ask. I rely on this site for a lot of my gardening advice and I appreciate it with sugar rather than vinegar. If there is no sugar available, bland will do.
The original quote was obviously from someone with access to the garden centre, to be able talk to the ' guy '
' Clematis plug plant offer--advice needed ' backs up the point that I am trying to make.
Why do not these people who sell these plants, offer advice ?
If you buy a TV from Argos and you don't understand how to work it, you don't go to the ice cream parlour or hairdresser ?
Lots of sugar here, by the way. Clematis are a wonderful genus of plants, I want everyone to be successful with them, not difficult to understand.
As a some-time lurker, clematis newbie but now proud owner of 10 clematis with cuttings on the go I would like to say thanks Richard for all the advice, and most of all, reassurance that clematis growing can be straightforward.
I also have received some good advice on here regarding my clematis - not just from - but also from Richard and many other kind people who willing impart their knowledge to those of us who aren't in the know. I would like to think that on this forum there is no hierarchy, we are all gardeners trying to do the best we can for our plants and most importantly to enjoy learning, making errors and producing the most spectacular plants - isn't nature wonderful!
Hello there and apologies, Richard. First of all I realise I shouldn't have said 'the guy', I should have said 'the gentleman at..' or 'the gardener at...' or just 'my local garden centre..'. I'm not going to name the helpful, lovely person and the point was they helped and I was trying to pass on what he told me to GD.
Secondly I've spend literally hundreds at this GC buying everything from plants to compost to planters to bird feeders to books to tools - they know me, and offer me advice voluntarily. I didn't 'bypass' the local GC to buy clematis from the corn-beef merchant and I didn't ask my local GC specifically for clematis advice after bypassing them for a clematis! It so happened I went in for compost and then he started telling me about his garden and his clematis Elizabeth, and then voluntarily offered me general advice. He was happy I resuced the little cuttings from the corn-beef merchant and says he often does the same. I would have happily bought a clematis from him if he'd had the varieties I wanted.
Thirdly, as clematis is your speciality I can understand your frustration at the corn-beef merchant and at us who go for plug plant offers and corn-beef merchants, but consider there are always negatives and positives. Negatives that they are not giving enough advice and positive they're bringing beautiful clematis to the mass market (sorry I know this is a negative too depending on perspective). Not everyone can afford GC, online or flower show prices. I went to a well known rose garden recently and saw something beautiful and asked what it was. So many people were asking about it. They said it was viticella Duchess of Albany and I went to find it in the garden centre section. It was £19 and didn't even look as healthy as the corn-beef merchant's cuttings. Why would I spend £19 on this when I can spend less on the same thing? That said there are still lots of varieties I want and so I'm not going to bypass anyone.
Explanation over. Back to clematis advice...
Apologies not needed, a bit of banter is good for us all, just to say I do not have a problem with people shopping at Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl, Tesco whatever, we all do it. I have a small clematis nursery where I supply mainly the ' anoraks ' of the clematis world, always looking for something rare and unusual, lots of weird stuff I grow from seed and I breed many new cultivars, so I do not see the supermarkets as competition. I do not use this forum as a platform to sell plants. I just think that the vendors should supply some cultural tips when purchasing plants from them, sorry if I make it sound offensive.
Every day of my life I learn a bit more about the clematis genus, what I know would fill a book, what I don't know would fill a library
I went to a lecture last month by Dr Mary Toomey, world renowned clematarian, she gave the following advice when planting a new clematis " First year sleep, second year creep, third year leap ". In other words don't expect instant.
Incidentally clematis Duchess of Albany is not viticella, it is texensis, priced at £10 at most good nurseries.
Thanks for the clarification and the advice Richard. I will have a look for this texensis and also I can see you have an online shop. Have you already published a book? If not, why not? Then we can all read it and not ask stupid questions. Or then again you don't want to give away all your secrets
For Guernsey Donkey 2 as it's not working in the PM....
Pots are pretty small....also don't think I buried them deep enough. Also not very good pot trellises. Not sure if this is okay but leaving them in here for now.
Last edited: 27 August 2016 09:43:29