Clematis help

I have two (well I have lots, but two I am worried about), clematis which appear to be dying. It is definitely not wilt, as they have been dying over about a month. The leaves originally turned yellowish from the bottom, working up a stem at a time, and then just dried up. I have done everything the experts tell us to do, roots in the shade, well watered and fed etc. They were both planted early last year and grew and flowered well in the first year. Pixie, a very early cream flowed variety was a mass of bloom this March, the other Triternata Rubromarginata grew like a weed and was covered with buds just starting to open when it upped and died on me.

If anyone has any idea what could have happened to these two, both still have a little green but I fear it's terminal. What do I do? Dig them out and ditch them or cut them back and hope. If I throw them out would it be wise to replace them with others in the same spot. It is the on a sunny fence at the back of a wide border, with roots in the shade. Both are special favourites of mine.

Any help or advice would be appreciated.
Bee

 

Hi Bev

Can you post a photo of the plant?

 

Good idea, Should have thought of that. :o
Bee

 

Thanks for the photos!



Your clematis doesnt look happy at all.

Has anything been sprayed near it? Or been spilled on the soil, on either your side of the fence or your neighbours? Is the soil disturbed- has anyone/ anything been digging near it?

 

I don't spray any chemicals at all, I try to be as wildlife friendly as poss and am almost 100% organic. On the other side of the fence is a communal carpark and up against my fence is a garage and an empty space which I mostly maintain so I don't think anyone has sprayed there, no digging either. All my plants against the fence are healthy, a rose and honeysuckle both doing well and on the car park side is a beautiful budlea. The other little Clematis (Pixie) is also protected by a garage on the other side of the fence. The fence is unpainted. This is a complete mystery to me. I guess I will have to cut them both back and wait and see what happens.
Bev

 

Could the sun have done this to the plant?

 

one of the gardens I maintain has also got a clematis that has thrived for 3 years and is also now going brown/dying ... there are several other different clematis planted against that same wall and near to the one dying, and all others seen to be doing fine (some in flower at the moment)

it is not due to lack of water (or overwatering) .... so I will be interested to hear the outcome of this thread

 

From the pictures it certainly looks like drought effects.

How do you and and how much water do you give them, BevL ?

Because these are vines they don't just need watering, they need absolutely saturating - they need and can take enormous amounts of water.
Don't water clematis with a watering can because you simply can't supply them with sufficient amounts, use a hosepipe, lay it on the ground near the rootball and leave it on a medium speed trickle for 10 minutes 2 or 3 times a week and this should provide clems with enough water.

Yours have the classic look of the rootball being too dry, i have one that i've not watered that much (it's been in the ground for 4 years) and it looks just like this.
Don't dig it up, just leave it alone but give it copious amounts of water from now on and you'll see new greenery eventually coming through - but definately don't cut it back or remove it, the roots'll be just fine, just leave it be !

Most of the people who have clematis in their gardens don't give them enough water, they don't realise just how much they can take !

 

I almost never water clematis except when new, so that explains the number of losses i have had over the years! Having said that,it's amazing how good they are at surviving. They seem to have the ability to pop back up years after I'd assumed they were dead.

Also, they do have a nasty habit of wilting or developing browned foliage. It doesn't mean they won't come back again. Clematis stems seem very sensitive to being handled, especially young tender ones in the spring. The slightest touch can snap them or cause wilt sometimes.

 

Bev, check the communal carpark for signs of weedkiller usage.

 

Cor, I didn't know that about the copious amounts of water needed either, that explains why mine haven't done as well as expected. I shall treble their water rations with immediate effect.

 

Thank you everyone for your input, all helpful.

Louise, I have 9 clematis growing in various positions around the garden, some in pots. It is only these two which are suffering and I would say that these two get more water generally than the others, I water them at least every other day and if its very hot, every day and they get the best part of a watering can (a gallon) each time, They are also well mulched with home made compost to about 4 inches deep, the roots are well shaded by other plants. The large flowered one growing at the front of the house gets quite dry, it was here when I moved in and was neglected before, but it is fine. I will make sure I water them all more just in case. I have trimmed off a lot of the dead stuff but left everything that showed any life. I will water and feed regularly from now on to encourage them into re-growth.

Daitheplant Spraying is very unlikely as I am the only person who keeps the car park clean and tidy. None of the other residents are gardeners and as it is private property the council don't have anything to do with it.

Thank you all again. I will keep you posted as to how things develop.
Bev

 

Bev, you have answered your own question. The symptoms of OVERwatering are exactly the same as those of UNDERwatering.

 

Very useful thread - I thought I was the only one having clematis die back problems. It seems that under watering is the number one culprit . I will make a point of watering them with a hose pipe weekly now - depending on weather conditions. How these prima donna plants survive in the wild is beyond me :D

 

:D

However, most are modern hybrid varieties!