Clematis Avalanche

Two years ago we planted a Clematis Avalanche, the evergreen one with prolific white flowers. It grew well up a wooden trellis and in its second year it bloomed as promised, exceedingly well. It shares a twelve inch cube stone container with a fern which is flourishing.

This year the Clematis is unhappy. About a fifth of the leaves have withered and we had only one white flower! The container is on a North facing side of the house and is subject to wind. We are in an urban situation less than half a mile from the sea. The container is watered daily and fed with Miracle Grow about once a month.

My wife wants to cut it right back to say six inches in order to encourage it. I hae mi doots. What is your opinion? I tend to discount the situation as it did so well in its second year - or could it be that the conditions were unusually mild last last year? There is good and flourishing new growth at the top of the plant - under the eaves of the porch. The plant is now seven feet high give or take a few inches.

Thanks in anticipation. Marcus.

 

I don't think it will like being in a pot after a few years, although you do sound exceptionally good at
looking after it. (I wouldn't be!)

I don't think you should prune it now, it should have been done in February. A missed prune won't do much harm but if you do it now you will cut off any chance of flowers this year, unless it can crank a few out by Autumn.

If it's putting out healthy growth at the top then it must be OK. I think it's doing what clematis do, left to their own devices. They reach for the sky and don't care if their nether regions look a bit threadbare because they would normally be clambering through a camouflaging understorey anyway. The whole point of pruning (I think) is to keep the stems shorter and neater, make them bushy from the base and influence flowering time. I think you should wait and see if it flowers at all this year, then prune hard next Feb. You might have to put up with 7 foot of leg and a cluster of flowers under the eaves, though.

Also, remember that clematis are (at least in my experience) very temperamental, they die soon as look at them, and my best successes are ones that have been in the ground for some years - often doing very little for the first few years.

 

Thanks for the advice. Last year it flowered profusely in the late spring but not at
all later so my wife thinks that it is well past a flowering time this year. She is determined to prune/murder it forthwith unless anyone can successfully persuade her otherwise very soon. She is sharpening her hook even as I write!

Marcus,

 

Clematis Avalanche shouldn't really need any pruning, these evergreen Clematis should only be tidied up a bit if necessary after flowering in the Spring. They are a bit tender and even near the coast I imagine it was a cold winter.

The only thing that worries me a bit is that you are describing symptoms which could be something called Slime Flux. It causes wilting and yellowing and loss of lower leaves and is usually fatal to be honest if you have it. (well...for the clematis...not you!)

Can you smell an unpleasant smell at the base of the plant or see a slimy ooze on the stems or on the surface of the soil? I hope it's not this, but do check this out.

 

The problem most likely is simply down to its roots.

These plants have roots that go to a depth of about 12" and spread widely too and by keeping it potted you are restricting its natural habit - as it matures its roots want to travel and you're stunting it all the time.

Free the plant by putting it in the open ground and you'll see a complete new lease of life from it.