Clematis with Dead Leaves ??

18 years ago

Maybe this is a really stupid question, but I have to ask. What is going on with many of my clematis when 10-20% of the leaves die and go crispy brown while the other leaves, and flowers,often further up on the same stems, are just fine.?? i want to snip out this unsightly dead matter; is it o.k. to remove the entire stem? if yes, is it o.k. to remove the whole stem because it's late in the season now or because it's o.k. to do that anytime? I grow primarily smaller flowered clems; this problem happens w/ all types.

thanks much for any help,

Mindy

Featured Answer

WendyB 5A/MA

18 years ago

Mindy, I'm having the same predicament. This year there seem to be more crispy leaves than usual.

If it happens earlier in the season, I definitely will cut the whole thing back. Whether its a group 2 or a group 3.
At this late stage, I am hesitant to treat group 2's like that because they will still put out new growth this year which will not be hardened off for blooms next year.

For group 3's I'm a little more daring.

A different approach would be to "dead leaf" them to make them look better. ugh. what a pain.

On the other hand if the stem is fully dead, easy. snip.

Maybe a little of this and a little of that...

I've let a lot of my crispies persist. Mostly because I haven't had time to tend to them. I hate seeing them, but that's part of the game, huh?

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Comments (9)

arbo_retum
Original Author
18 years ago
uh oh. looks like i'm going to have to finally learn the different clem.groups now, in order to benefit from your response!!
any known cause for the dead leaves,Wendy?
thanks again,
mindy
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WendyB 5A/MA
18 years ago
I can only guess that it must be weather related. We had a long stretch of humid yucky weather earlier in the summer even before all the frequent rains of August. (My A/C bill confirms that cause I can't stand humidity.) I know they like water, but maybe not humidity. ???

Some of mine always get crispy after bloom, at least on the lower third, and I now know which ones to cut down after bloom. Some of those will put out a great 2nd bloom in September as a result. Ms. Bateman and Betty Corning come to mind as good candidates for that.

You can do it! In general,

bloom early and maybe later too = group 2
bloom later = group 3
arbo_retum
Original Author
18 years ago
a second blooom???? i had no idea! that would be so great for the many Niobe scattered throughout the gardens(I could never find another whose color I loved as much as hers.)
Cut down to the ground? i can see i had better spend a good amount of time re-educating myself with my Clematis book. sigh. why can't I know everything by now?!!
best,
mindy
WendyB 5A/MA
18 years ago
sigh. why can't I know everything by now?!!

ha! because thats what makes gardening so great!!

Niobe is a group 2 (some references say group 3, although any group 2 can be treated like a group 3), so she is a good candidate for reblooming.

Now don't get too excited about this 2nd bloom cycle. Its not as good as the first, but in Sept/Oct/Nov, we'll take it!

I once had Niobe blooming late October until a hard freeze got the blooms!!! This pic was 10-22-2002. I see a touch of a rose next to it, so it probably was a nice fall.

{{gwi:258332}}
arbo_retum
Original Author
18 years ago
wow, you hot ticket you!!th you for the inspiration.
best,
mindy
Brenda Shelton
8 years ago
Group 1,2,3... I just got a violet cranberry clematis and planted it. 3 days later I have a few dry, brown crumbly leaves! I've watered every day and I replaced the dirt from the hole with a good potting mix. I even added a couple of bannana peels and some egg shells for good measure. Help! I've never been a clematis mama before!
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
8 years ago
Brenda, you might want to start a new post on the clematis forum with this question.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/clematis
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years ago
i would have planted it in native unamended soil ... and once watered in.. i would have watered it.. when it needed water ...in early spring.. most things dont need water every day ... insert finger.. to determine when it needs more water ...

you are seeing transplant shock ...

ken