I just posted a long reply on the other Smartside thread here, if you care to read it. I've had very good results with Smartside on my house, but you have a much different climate that me. Are you concerned about wildfires? Hardiplank is fireproof. It's also bug proof. The downside is that the pieces are short at 12'. The edges turn to mush in a matter of a day or two when soaked with water. It shows every bow and dip in your walls. It needs special tools to cut. The advantage of Smartside is that a regular saw will cut it. It's longer at 16'. It's thicker and hides wall defects better and looks like real wood on the wall. It does not fall apart when soaked in water. Downsides is that it's only fire resistant and bugs should not bother it as it is heavily manufactured but it's still wood. I've installed both and I would take Smartside over Hardiplank any day, but Hardiplank has it's advantages also. This post was edited by rmtdoug on Fri, Oct 24, 14 at 1:06

Nice to see you posting, Vera. I grow many type 2 and 3 clematis. This early I would plant it now leaving on the flower buds and not cutting the plant back until after they have bloomed. Since it is a large pot it likely has a large root system already. If more buds form you could even wait until the first flush has finished to cut back. In my zone 4 I like to plant it 4 inches deeper. Type 1s, bloom on old wood, are not hardy here. Type 2s, bloom on old and new wood, usually die back to the ground over the winter so are usually treated like Type 3s. The early flush of blooms are lost but the plants still bloom well a bit later. When you plant, if there is green growth on many vines you can try to untangle them from the obelisk, cut them off the obelisk, or let them stay on the obelisk until you are ready to cut the vines back. I would want to see the bloom so would wait to cut back until after the bloom has finished. Also post again when it blooms, maybe someone might recognize it then. Here is some info from the FAQ. It appears that some of the questions and answers are missing. There used to be one on planting. The info below was taken from transplanting and moving a clematis but is still pertinent .It is best to dig and prepare your new location before you dig up the plant to be transplanted. Dig a large hole, and dig it deeper than needed to make some room for compost or rotted manure in the bottom. You will also want to plant the clematis two to three inches deeper than the old level. One can use a post hole digger tool to get a nice deep hole. It is best to bury one or two pairs of latent buds, leaves and all, so that the plant can sprout from under the ground. It becomes a good insurance planting policy. The buried stem will develop roots. Before you place the plant into the new hole, throw in a handful or two of bone meal or other fertilizer high in phosphate to aid in root growth. ... Bulbtone, an organic fertilizer, can be added to the hole without fear of burning the roots. Mix the bone meal and fertilizer with compost in the bottom of the hole, fill the hole with water, and place the new plant in it's new home, submerging it in the water. Fill in around the plant with the best compost or enriched top soil you can find, and water it in. Keep the plant well watered and fertilized the first few years until a deep root system capable of supporting the plant through dry times has had time to develop. It is best to mulch a large area around the base of the plant to keep the soil moist and reduce evaporation. Watering your plant is critical to its survival! this link will give you some more information. (Couldn't get it to show up with the link button but the link info is below. http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1820115/my-clematis-vines-keep-dying-what-am-i-doing-wrong?n=4

This heater (Hayward H400FDN) would light and then shut down after a couple of seconds. I tested the pressure switch and the over temp sensor as good. Confirmed that I had only momentary voltage at the gas valve. Hayward tech (after a long wait on hold) suggested cleaning the manifold and orifices. I removed the manifold with the gas valve and really didn't see any obstructions. I blew out the manifold with compressed air without removing the valve as it appeared to be tightly glued to the manifold. I didn't really see any debris come out. I then suspected the flame sensor. I don't know how to test it so I ordered one from Amazon. Before it arrived the heater began to operate normally. There is a 60 minute reset feature that my neighbor (his heater) claims to have waited for. I don't think that he did until just before it started working again. One possibility for the problem is that I had replaced a small section of the gas line at the meter. Maybe that air bubble worked it's way (about 100 feet) to the heater and started the (3 strikes and you're out - wait 60 minutes for a reset) mode. The other possibility is that there were some leaves on top of the heater exchanger. My neighbor vacuumed them out while I was blowing out the manifold. That stuff may have worked it's way down to the burner area. Regardless, the FIRST thing to do is what Steve and the Hayward tech suggested - may sure everything is cleaned out.

This is also a common question on the Soil, Compost and Mulch forum. And, except for cases of contamination, small yards, and too much hardscape to make it work, the best option is usually the cheapest... native soil. Native soil usually has a full range of nutrients, and in some cases doesn't require much amending at all. Most times organic matter is the most needed addition, although you should get a soil test for pH, and to get a baseline for everything else. I don't even build walls around my raised beds. To establish them, I just tilled and amended. The soil expands naturally, and with amendments added each year, there's plenty of height. If you wanted, and your conditions allow, you might be able to do something similar. If you wanted, you could build walls later on. And even if you did want to add a purchased soil, mixing it with native soil often improves both. The second best choice is to find a landscape supplier who sells a garden mix. It's often the cheapest of the purchase options, and they usually deliver. ETA... what Dave said! Lol.