Kimcoco, what are the names of the clematis that you have already planted? If they are type IIIs, they get pruned every year sometime during the winter (I do most of my type III cut backs in December-mine are already done for this coming year). Type IIs typically should be cut back the first if not the second year they are in the ground just so that they can get a good root system established. As for fertilizing, normally you do it initially in the early spring once the buds start swelling. How frequently you do it and with what is really up to you. Some people use compost and/or compost tea, alfalfa pellets, grass clippings, tomato and/or rose food, purchased organic or synthetic granular time released fertilizers, soluble fertilizers such as Miracle Grow, etc. As you can see, there is a wide assortment of fertilizers you can use for clematis and if you ask 10 different people what they might use, you could get 10 different answers. As to how frequently to do it is going to depend on which fertilizers you use, how fertile your soil naturally is, and why you might want to fertilize them. I will typically cut my type IIIs and type IIs back by anywhere from 1/3 to 2/3 after their initial bloom period to get another flush later in the season. When I cut them back, I refertilize them with whatever I am using or have on hand. Organic fertilizers tend to be slower release so you don't have to worry as much about over fertilizing when you do fertilize them using this type of fertilizer than if you used a synthetic/dissolvable type of fertilizer which is more immediately available to the plants. Some people go way overboard with fertilization of clematis as far as I am concerned and you have to judge how the plants are performing or aren't to determine how much you need. Needlessly dumping tons of fertilizers on any plant just for the sake of fertilizing is not fruitful and can lead to a lot of green vegetative growth with few blooms. As far as fertilizing when plants are blooming or coming into bud, it can be done provided you use a slower organic type of fertilizer. I have often forgotten, gotten sidetracked, or ignored fertilizing my clematis in early spring only to remember to do so when the plants were budded up or blooming and done so with compost, compost tea, mushroom compost, alfalfa pellets or some other organic fertilizer and not had it affect the bloom cycle. Hope that helps some!

Heather - I have been away from home for several weeks now and won't return until mid-Jan. My wife tells me that the package did arrive. I'm sure that what you sent is fine. Many thanks for your dedication again. John A

Thanks gourd and timbersmith. I had not really thought about them being late until I received a trade package of seeds from Canada last week that was mailed about 2 weeks later than the tomatoes were. Different POE's may have longer delays than others. Perhaps this will be our week! Alana

We use the basket for silverware and the 3rd rack for small prep bowls, small containers (they don't flip over and fill with water), Kitchen scissors, etc. My DH found the 3rd rack too much of a pain to use for silverware when loading the DW since each piece has to be carefully placed in the slots vs tossing in one of the baskets. We usually only need one basket, though. I didn't think I'd love the third rack as much as I do. And I love it for the opposite reason of your hubby. Yes it takes an extra second to put the silverware in the slots, but it take 1/8 the time to then put all the silverware away since you don't have to sort it out. Line up all the soup spoons, line up all the teaspoons, line up all the salad forks... When I was in NY using the basket, I wound up cursing the darn thing because of how things stuck together and how I had to pick out one by one each silverware piece. It took double the time to put it away.