A tail of two (very sad) Clematis - Any advice please?

There are quite a few of us in the GC Gang that grow a few or more Clematis in their gardens, Barders. I have around 180-190 different varieties scattered around the garden and on the Trellis Entrance to the garden.......

It probably is Powdery Mildew as you suspect, Barders. If the plant is, for the moment, okay and has flowered you can either treat it with an anti fungal leave mixture it and leave it until the Spring for it's annual pruning, or cut it back to a clean shoot or bud now.

To be honest, Barders, there is really no such a thing as a specific Clematis Food, if it was sold as that then it is merely Marketing Blurb, but it probably won't do any harm either Clematis like a good weekly/monthly feed of something with a high Potash content such as a Tomato Feed and maybe a general purpose fertiliser every now and then.

Well, Clematis do as they say, "like their roots cool and damp and their heads in the Sun". But different varieties of Clematis react to such conditions differently especially if they are young and newly planted. I have a Blue Clematis that grows happily in a shady situation in my Jasmine/Honeysuckle/Clematis hedge running along my Wildlife pond.


I have tried other Clematis but this one seems to love the shade. So long as your Clematis are getting a few hours of Sun then they should be okay. When it comes to free draining soil, (I garden on around a depth of around 350' of sand that has taken decades to get a top layer of light loam. In the early years I lost a few Clematis while learning what they like and don't like but I kept adding Compost around them and left it to the Worms to drag it down into the soil to improve it, and with patience it seems to have worked.

 

Not really, Mike, I believe that there might be one of two members who equal or surpass my collection. I break all the rules regarding pruning as various Groups are mixed tightly together so they all get pruned at the same time without any problems.
Covering the roots of Clematis with stones/pebbles, gravel is mostly used where the planting site is in the open and exposed to the full Sun, but it needn't be followed when in shady areas.
I believe the practice of using a material to cover the planting site was devised by Gardeners on the staff of the Big House estates going back to the 18th Century and they used straw but things went to more easily obtained objects when Clematis be popular with the Working Class gardener such as stone, etc.

 

Hi Barders, it's a very good habit to ensure you give your all your plants a regular feed. However, you do not have to feed them after the end of August as most will stop growing and flowering after that date, you can start feeding in the Spring when you see new growth. Plants like Roses will flower even into December if you're lucky but usually are quite happy not being given a feed after August.

Advice from the RHS........

"The following products contain a combination of both insecticide and fungicide, enabling the control of both insect pests and disease: myclobutanil containing cypermethrin (Resolva Rose 3 in 1, Rose Shield Bug & Fungus Killer, Roseclear Ultra Gun 2, Rosegarde) and triticonazole containing acetamiprid (Roseclear Ultra, Roseclear Ultra Gun).When a proprietary product contains an insecticide as well as a fungicide it would be preferable to use an alternative product if pests are not a problem on the plants treated.
Any crop: SB Plant Invigorator, Resolva Natural Power Bug and Mildew Control, RHS Bug and Mildew Control, Ecofective Bug & Mildew Control and the Ecofective ‘Defender’ range contain a blend of surfactants and nutrients and can be used on any edible or ornamental plants, with no harvest interval. They have a physical mode of action and may be used against powdery mildews, as well as a range of pests such as whiteflies, aphids, spider mites, mealybugs, scale insects and psyllids."

I would recommend that you use one of the above, if you're not going to cut the Clematis back, to avoid further spread of the Powdery Mildew. Any diseased plant material should be binned and not put on any compost heap you have. I, personally, don't use any chemicals in the garden and seem mostly to get away with it but I put that down to feeding the borders etc regularly, at the right time, for the right period which gives the plants better growth and strength to resist disease.. Let us all know how you get on.

 

I know I have said this before on GC, but a lot of us have been gardening for decades and have have learnt from our many mistakes and experiences........but all of us learn everyday. We don't have "experts" on GC but we do have a lot of members who have gained some knowledge from their years of mistakes, failures and successes and they are always willing to pass on the benefit of their knowledge to others. So there are plenty of members who will help you with any advice you need.
If the garden brings a smile to your face, Barders, when you go into it, then you know you've got your own personal bit of Heaven and Haven.