Pampered container growing in a nursery ???? Obviously you have never toured a wholesale growing operation. There is NOTHING 'pampering' about it!! The handling these plants receive is just this side of brutal, yet they endure and even thrive. They certainly receive much more handling and root disturbance than they do in a more or less permanent garden setting. And to be clear, this is a very large wholesale grower of clematis and other vines and one that supplies countless retail nurseries and as stated, many well-known mail order clematis sources. They know what the heck they are doing. I'm not sure who you got your information from nor do I think it particularly relative to this discussion. The vast majority of clematis resources, including well-recognized growers and breeders like Raymond Evison, recommend a deeper planting depth for any clematis. It increases cold tolerance, encourages additional shooting from the root crown which provides protection/insurance against damage of the fragile stems and seems to reduce the instance of wilt in those clematis that are prone to it - species clematis are not. We all have different experiences to share. Mine, as well as a good many others, is that the majority of species clematis tend to be tough customers. I do not pamper my vines.......in some cases I could be considered to be pretty negligent in their treatment:-) I do not treat my species clematis any different than I do any of the hybrids, nor has my experience - and I've been growing clematis myself for the better part of 30 years - indicated any need to. Again, I think too many myths abound with the "mystique" of growing clematis that are just unfounded. These are far tougher, hardier and more durable plants than most would have us believe.

That's an interesting question, but I'd think there are always limitations even with selective breeding over perhaps even centuries of trial and error, etc etc. and the genes have to be there for exceptional cold hardiness, so unless some mutant ones do show up, it's still unlikely we'll see palms survive in the coldest parts of the world without some special outdoor protection. It's still questionable I'd guess how the most cold hardy plants survive, though in most cases it means cell walls that won't rupture , when the cells freeze, etc. etc. and in some cases plants do posess some chemicals most like super dooper antifreeze to prevent freezing except at the coldest temperatures. I guess however, knowing my own nature and that perhaps of many gardeners , if we could easily grow palms in our cold climates , much as they do in warm ones and had many palms around us and commonplace, we might not find them so alluring perhaps?? I'd still love them though most likely even if common-place!

I like the individuality of the species hybrids; one of my complaints about modern roses--one of my big complaints--is that they all seem to have similar foliage, and that foliage, while it may be healthy, isn't what I call beautiful. Too much like plastic. Unfortunately a lot of the species and hybrids aren't happy in my garden; I have serious doubts about Pimpinellifolias, Rugosas, the early spring yellows, the wild roses of the eastern U.S. Possibly the Pimpinellifolias merit re-examination: 'Fruhlingsgold', which has languished for years down in the big garden, has sent up a couple of strong shoots. I like your roses; they have character and charm.

That seller was an ass. Okay Gabby, back to your original Q. There are any number of reasons. Some of the following are rehashes of what has already been said, but I don't feel like scrolling repeatedly up and down on my iPad. 1) What the market will bear Some plants, by virtue of uniqueness and/or popularity, get snapped up so fast that vendors will price the plants high knowing that there will be someone out there with deep pockets who will jump on it. This is very common with online platforms like "flea"bay or nurseries with wealthy clientele. In the case of eBay vendors, there is the added factor of of "auction fever". Buyers often get carried away bidding which drives the prices up to ridiculous heights. Then, too, there are some vendors who "prime" the market pump by having more than one account/store. Such vendors may price items much higher in one store than the other. Potential bargain buyers will seeing both prices go for the lower price and assume they're getting a great deal. Then there are those people who, for whatever reason, go for the higher price with the mentality that because it is more expensive it must be better. And don't dismiss the "laziness" factor. Many online shoppers are to lazy or impatient to shop around. 2) Seed grown vs. meristem (cloned) With very common, easily grown plants seeds or cuttings are typically the only ways they are produced as tissue culture is simply not worth the trouble or expense. BUT there are plants which are rare due to such things as: odd genetic mutation, low seed production/fertility, lengthy time until they reach maturity, overall slow growth, or a combination of these. Such plants are the usual candidates for meristem cloning. In this latter case, seed grown plants may be more expensive than cloned. People may be willing to pay more for the genetically unique seed grown plants -- especially if the plants are dioecious (either male or female as opposed to monoecious plants wherein flowers have both male and female parts) and the buyer wishes to breed more plants. Some plants are chimeras and can neither be grown true from seed (will not look like the parent plant(s) ), nor be cloned reliably if at all via tissue culture due to genetic instability. The only way to get more of said plant is by division. The same can be said of some plants which require some yet to be found mechanism to stimulate tissue cells to form new plants. (Many of the slipper orchids fall in this category.) Also, if said plant is a slow grower, divisions may be few and far between. Such plants can be crazy expensive due to their rarity. Plants which are highly variegated typically fall in this category. 3) Genetic instability A plant which is genetically unstable may give rise to unique pups or plantlets referred to as "sports" which cannot reliably be reproduced at all. Even buying a division of a sport does not guarantee that one will have that particular clone long term. Genetic instability can lead to that division sporting again or reverting back to the phenotype of a more common or plain ancestor. (Not at all unheard of with African violets or hosta.) 4) Variation within a clone Even in the case of a tissue cloned plant or division, the can be variations amongst the plants produced. Degree of variegation being one such affected attribute. Individuals displaying more of a particular attribute might be priced higher as a result.