New plants: plant now and risk frosts, or wait till Spring?

[notjustamummythankyou]

Our next door neighbour has just finished building an extension which runs down the party line that we share.

Unfortunately for us, this has meant that our fecking neighbour had to tear down our fence and a beautiful mature clematis in order to build a brick wall in its place. We have managed to obtain financial compensation through the independent party wall surveyor for this avoidable act of vandalism.

And breathe.

Anyway, I would like to replace the clematis with the same, and to replace a few other plants which were destroyed. The building is nearly finished, and my neighbour has asked what we would like to do. My feeling is that the planting should wait until the Spring, but I thought I would ask those in the know on here.

So, what should I do? Plant now, or wait until after the winter frosts?

Plant now. Autumn is the best time for planting so the roots can get established. If the winter frosts would kill it, you shouldn't be planting it anyway, unless it's just an annual which you don't expect to survive a British winter.

Thank you!

Is there any special ground preparation or anything else I need to do when I get the new clematis? The bed the old one was in is pretty much destroyed - trampled bedding plants, builders rubble, etc. It's only a small bed (about 6 feet long), but aside from removing the rubble, is there anything else I should be doing?

I knew mnetters would know ....