Once Again . . .
This is ridiculous.
Once again I carefully selected a plant for a specific spot in my new gardens, and once again I ended up with something totally different. The pot I bought was mislabeled. This keeps happening and it has occurred now at two completely different nurseries here. First with a desert willow that blooms purple, not white, and now . . .
I bought a native Rocky Mountain clematis for the tower that is up against the neighbor's garage wall in my new back garden. The staff at the nursery recommended it because it's native, stays small, and does well in shade. I looked it up online and learned it has little violet-blue downward facing bells in spring. Nice. Perfect size.
I planted it, watered it, and it grew up the iron tower, but of course it did not flower the first year as it was planted after the spring bloom period. But then in late August, it started to flower. And it's yellow.
This is Clematis tangutica, golden bell clematis, from China. It gets much larger than I wanted, flowers in late summer and fall, and it's a totally different color than I selected. Despite being sold by the premier, well respected nursery for native southwest plants, it's Chinese.
Aaarrgh.
No, I didn't keep the sales slip or the plant tag from the pot. Yes, if I had those I could go back to the nursery and let them know and I am sure they would replace it.
I need to start doing that -- keeping slips and plastic plant tags and storing all the loose bits of paper from the many pots and tubs and plant plugs I've bought. Absent the needed paperwork, however, I'll keep this yellow clematis and I'll probably like the nice yellow bells in summer as it climbs up over the neighbor's garage and onto their roof.
Sigh.
Once again I carefully selected a plant for a specific spot in my new gardens, and once again I ended up with something totally different. The pot I bought was mislabeled. This keeps happening and it has occurred now at two completely different nurseries here. First with a desert willow that blooms purple, not white, and now . . .
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| Rocky Mountain clematis - Clematis columbiana Spring bloomer, delicate vine growing to only 6 feet. |
I bought a native Rocky Mountain clematis for the tower that is up against the neighbor's garage wall in my new back garden. The staff at the nursery recommended it because it's native, stays small, and does well in shade. I looked it up online and learned it has little violet-blue downward facing bells in spring. Nice. Perfect size.
I planted it, watered it, and it grew up the iron tower, but of course it did not flower the first year as it was planted after the spring bloom period. But then in late August, it started to flower. And it's yellow.
 |
| Not what I bought. |
This is Clematis tangutica, golden bell clematis, from China. It gets much larger than I wanted, flowers in late summer and fall, and it's a totally different color than I selected. Despite being sold by the premier, well respected nursery for native southwest plants, it's Chinese.
Aaarrgh.
 |
| I guess it's nice enough and the flowers are pretty in late summer. But this will be larger than the tower can hold. |
No, I didn't keep the sales slip or the plant tag from the pot. Yes, if I had those I could go back to the nursery and let them know and I am sure they would replace it.
I need to start doing that -- keeping slips and plastic plant tags and storing all the loose bits of paper from the many pots and tubs and plant plugs I've bought. Absent the needed paperwork, however, I'll keep this yellow clematis and I'll probably like the nice yellow bells in summer as it climbs up over the neighbor's garage and onto their roof.
Sigh.
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