Don't know what to do now - Clamatis & Forsythia done for?

After the strong winds a few weeks ago, a couple of fence panels were destroyed.
My neighbours said they would replace them but had to cut back the plants to remove the old trellises. I helped them put the new panels and managed to take a couple photos beforehand.

Now, I don't know what to do with the remaining plants. Are they lost now that they're detached from the fence? Some parts are held up with hanging basket brackets screwed onto the posts.

I never trained them myself and am pretty ignorant with any needed maintenance. The plants were there when I moved in.

Also and as you can see by the photos, is that thick creepy looking trunk and branches the beginnings of the Clamatis and is most of it dead? During the summer, it does flower quite well.

Basically, I don't know what to do or use if it's possible to put humpty and dumpty back together again.

Thanks very much and hope you can help.

 

The clematis will probably reshoot in spring. I would thin out and reduce that tangled mess of clematis, then you could put up a new trellis or just wires for the to train the clematis, note clematis shoots are quite brittle when young.
Forsythia I think is indestructible so I would remove most of the top growth so essentially you have a stump. As it is a shrub you don't need to train it, it's self supporting so when it reshoots in spring let it grow and then in autumn thin out the new growth.

 

You might not get much in the way of flowers this year, but the grand collapse could be a blessing in disguise . Try to leave some thick ish stems on the Clematis...trace them along their length for about 5ft then chop. When you've pulled away the rest of the tangle, that'll leave you with the stems to tie in to their new support, well arranged and spaced. They should sprout in Feb/ Mar so then you can gently tie the new growth in too. That will flower next year

 

Thanks for all your advice.

I've just been informed (correctly I think) that it's not Forsythia but Winter Jasmine!

Regardless, I'm toying with the idea of starting afresh. Upon closer inspection, it really looks like a mess, especially where the two plants meet: lots of branches that seem to have warts(!) on them but no flowers. I've never done any training or pruning myself except when the get close to the floor.

As already said, I really am a novice to all this so will bow to any advice you can offer.

If I do start afresh, what type or types of plants would you recommend to cover the fence and trellises especially for privacy?

Would something that is evergreen be better but do any flower? Perhaps I should start a new thread as a clean slate?

Thanks again, I really appreciate it.

 

It's certainly a mess! But as @noisette47 says, you could cut them hard back but by leaving a few 5-6ft stems it would be easier, as well as quicker, to tie in a few stems. You really need a sort of framework to begin with & they will also sprout quicker - you may also be lucky enough to get a few flowers before the summer is out. Once you get some sort of supports up, whether trellis or wires you will find it easier to keep them tidy & within bounds.

An evergreen Clematis that has sweet smelling flowers all winter would also be a good choice giving you privacy & sweetly scented flowers when there is little else around.

Plenty of advice on this webpage.

Evergreen Clematis
.

 

If it’s a sunny fence, Trachelospermum aka Rhyncospermum (jasminoides white flowers or asiaticum cream flowers) is a nice, scented, well-behaved evergreen climber.

 

Thanks very much for your advice.

@Balc this evergreen Clematis seems ideal. I'm tempted to get rid of the existing one now including the Winter Jasmine and start afresh.

To have it running along a total distance of about 12 metres, how many would I need to plant? I'm a complete beginner to all this so I'm hitting the ground running!

I hope this is a decent idea and doable. It's got me feeling quite positive now.

I've just seen @noisette47's recommendation too. Would it be a good idea to have one from each end where they join in the middle?

I was going to ask if one of them comes in a different colour but maybe it's best to have it all white/cream and use the hanging basket brackets on each post to add colour.

How does that seem? Again, I'm a complete novice to this so I'm pretty limited with feasible ideas!

BTW, the fence (my side) is south facing, most of it gets the sun especially in the morning until the sun creeps over my house around late afternoon if that helps.

Thank you again

 

South facing is good....it opens up the possibilities There is a pink version of Trachelospermum but it’s a disappointing, muddy pink. For colour, vigour and self-clinging, you could try Campsis Mme Galen. Big orange trumpets but loses it’s leaves in winter.
If you Google these suggestions it’ll give you an idea of growth rate, height, spread etc.

 

You may find that the root systems are extensive, making total removal a major job. My thoughts are that you could get a tree surgeon type to remove the top and dispose, a smallish task for them. Leave some stems of clematis as @noisette47 suggests and see what comes. You might add your choice in gaps if any and then keep it trimmed annually*, so as to not become so unwieldly.
*timed to permit to flower, each species will differ.