Poorly clematis

Overnight (literally!) a clematis montana, which I put in about a month ago, has completely wilted and drooped! It was going really well up a trellis on the garage wall and now it looks as if it hasn't had water for weeks - all dried up, despite the frequent rainfall over the last few days. Is this the famous 'clematis wilt' I have heard of? If I cut it all back to the ground will it shoot away again?

 

Try cutting it back, you have nothing to lose after all. When planting clematis you should idealy plant about 3-4inches lower than it is in the pot. This lets the plant throw out more roots from the stems. I have cut back wilted plants in the past, some came back, others didn't.
good luck.
G.Man

 

I had the same problem lindyco, but have since found out our Ming (my avitar) has been cocking his leg on it the little BLEEP!!! :dh: 02

 

lol 02 .... have a dog myself that insists on poopin on every single new plant I buy .... its her way of welcoming them to the family I think

 

Lindyco, it is indeed Clematis Wilt, cut it back to ground level and it should reshoot quite soon.:thumb:

 

Thanks for your advice, folks! I have a cat, so I don't know whether he has been 'welcoming' my clematis!! Is there a specific cause to C. wilt ? Is it something in the soil or in the plant? Can it be avoided? It's very sudden!

 

There is nothing you can do to prevent Clematis wilt except don`t grow Clematis. It can devastate the healthiest om plant. However, it is only rarely fatal. Like people who grow roses, if you have roses you will, at some point, get blackspot. If you grow Clematis, at some point, you will get wilt.:thumb:

 

It is thought that although you cannot avoid it completely, you can limit the damage by planting clematis really deep to encourage more new shoots-like David says-it'll happen. Touch wood so far I haven't lost one completely to it

David-for some reason I am thinking I have heard somewhere that it sometimes being misdiagnosed (?right word??), and that in a lot of cases it's actually slug and snail damage-nibbling on the base of the stems.-ever heard of this?-Can't rememebr where I heard that, or even if I actually heard it, getting old.