Dying Clematis

Last year I lost a 20 year old Clematis Montana. Huge old plant and it took ages to chip, a saw to cut the stem!! I planted a new one without thinking and it grew a metre and a half before Winter. BUT (of course!) It hasn't grown again!!! Stupid old man that I am I didn't think that whatever killed the "tree" was still there!!!
So .... having had little response before when I asked for possible causes I'm just not going to plant Clematis again! Obviously it wasn't Wilt (plant was over 20 years old!!) A climbing Hydrangea planted at the same time as the original Montana has had a real fillip mind you so one side of the trellis will soon be covered, suggesting the soil is generally still 'fit'. Going to plant Roses on the other side (Gertrude Jekyll at least) BUT I'd still like to know about the Clematis that finished up in the compost heap and is that now contaminated???

 

I think if whatever killed the tree was still there when you planted the Clematis, it wouldn't have grown at all, or if it did grow it would have been sickly.
Did you check it properly, I've found some Clematises take a while to get established.

 

Thanks very much for your prompt response, I take your point but it was another Montana,! so fecund in my experience! However it's also possible that when we planted it we produced a large enough "pot' in the ground that was clear of disease for the initial growth but that it infiltrated the plant during this growth? However what could the disease be that only seems to be affecting Clematis? I could, I suppose, plant another, cheap this time, clematis and see???

 

I don't really know, but if whatever killed the tree is still in the ground and killed the Clematis, it will also kill whatever else you plant there. That is unless the recent rain has washed it away.
All you can do is try something I suppose, maybe you could plant it in the ground in its pot until it gets big enough and then plant it in the soil. I'm not sure ... maybe someone else will have a better idea.

 

No I didn't plant it in a pot! When we planted the replacement Montana we DUG out a hole the equivalent of a pot in the ground and filled it with fresh compost. Thus soil/compost was fresh allowed growth. I wondered if that was why it seemed to settle and grew 1 and half metres in the Autumn, and because the roots then grew out into the original, possibly contaminated soil , the new plant became infected and subsequently died??
I don't do as much gardening myself these days, my wife is now THE GARDENER has bought a 'cheap' clematis to try again! So it seems WE ARE TRYING AGAIN!!!

 

Good for you. If at first you don't succeed etc.