Kimiko clematis - do I need to do anything?

Hi Emma, welcome to Gardeners Corner. Okay, well, Clematis Kimiko is for starters an evergreen and, I believe, is an "off shoot of the Clematis Armandii family. There aren't many evergreen Clematis compared to the thousands of deciduous ones. But evergreen Clematis do have one thing in common, despite the description of evergreen they do shed some leaves as normal practice which can lead a new owner to fear the worst. The leaves normally turn brown and crispy and fall to the ground or dangle on the stem' I have around 173 Clematis and in there are several evergreen Clematis so I got used to see the brown leaves on the ground.
However, before we put the problem down to that can you tell us where your Clematis is? You say you've planted it, but is that in the ground or in a pot/container? Are the roots shaded and cool?, did you plant it around 4 inches deeper than the pot it was in?, and (daft question) have you watered it regularly? A pic would be nice if you could post one.

 

Hi Emma, the Clematis looks fine where it is so you've done a good job there.

Actually the reason for planting Clematis deeper than when in the pot is to help prevent Clematis Wilt which causes Clematis to do exactly that.. Wilt. The Clematis disappears underground and then, hopefully, will recover and put up new growth.......but not always.
The best thing you can do now is to leave the Clematis in peace, let it settle in, push out roots and establish itself.......while fending off the Rabbits Don't prune it, just try to train the Clematis against the fence, out of the reach of the Rabbits, keep it watered and a weekly feed say of Tomato Feed and/or Miracle Gro to give it some nutrients to grow on.

Yes, it is recommended that you place large pebbles or flat stones around the root area which will, as you say, help keep the roots cool which is what Clematis like. It looks like C.Kimiko is a variety of the Boulevard series which appears to be a hybrid but a good one. It's supposed to flower in Spring but, due to Climate change, you might find it will, once established, flower again during the year. My established evergreen Clematis are the ARMANDII variety



which are aggressive growers spreading, if you let it, 30 feet or more.
Anyway, don't prune your Clematis Kimiko even in the Spring as you do normal Clematis as evergreen Clematis should be left to grow on and, if you prune it, may not recover. Also, as I mentioned before, evergreen Clematis have a habit of shedding some leaves throughout the year, so don't worry it's normal for the evergreens.