I thought Clematis were easy! :(

18 years ago

I'm new to clematis and I'm not what you would call an expert gardener. Having said that, I adore my small garden and I'm trying to develop it into more of a perennial garden as opposed to an annual garden. So, I planted two clematis this spring. I'm not sure what the name is. They look like blue boys? They have a pretty lavender bloom.

O.K. so here is the problem. I'm sure you've heard it a million times. They were supposedly second year growth in the 1 gallon size pots that I bought them in. I got them at Lowe's for about 20 dollars a piece. They were about 2ft tall with some blooms on them. One is flourishing and the other is dying. The sickly one looks like the wilt..but I've heard nothing but the fact that clematis can do this in the first year in the ground and that they will normally come back. My yard is very warm and gets alot of sun, but along the fence where I planted them, they get plenty of shade. The soil is clayish here in Colorado. I amended with top soil and compost. I don't think I gave them a very big hole to grow in. Do you think the sickly one will make it? Is it not a good idea to cut it back to about 6 inches and let it try to start over? Would that be bad? I watered with miracle grow plant food in the first two weeks, one time.

Any or all comments, suggestions, sympathy, will be appreciated!

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Comments (6)

coloradogarden
Original Author
18 years ago
In looking more closely of pictures of the blue boy clematis, I'm sure that's NOT what mine are. I still have the tag. I'll find it and post the name asap. Thanks!
buyorsell888
18 years ago
When you planted them did you plant them deeper in the ground than they were in the pot?

If so, they by cutting back affected stems it should recover from the buried crown.

Clematis can be difficult to establish. Once established they are easy.
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botanybabe
18 years ago
Colorado,

I though they were easy too, but they're not, at least not for me. I saw them growing everywhere when I came to Indiana. They even grew out along fences around corn fields where no one really took care of them, so I thought they were easy.

Mine, a Niobe, established well for me. In her 9th year she got a bad case of aphids and though I treated her, this year she has come back puny and sad. I am not sure what to do for her. I think the aphids may have spread a disease to her because she tends to wilt easily. Is there a cure for the wilt?

We'll learn together, I suppose.

Lainey
gianty
18 years ago
No known cure for wilt. No known cause for it either. Some speculate it's an inadequate root system that fails the plant. In the case of your Niobe I don't think so. Proper ground prep will help guarantee success. Digging in generous amounts of compost/humus/peat will make it much easier for the new shoots to break ground and help retain moister as well as feeding the plant. Try dreching the area around Niobe with a broad spectrum fungicide like Banrot or foliar spray for mildews with Strike. Once a plant is affected you have pretty much lost the battle for this season. For bugs Merrit is as good as it gets. IMHO.
coloradogarden
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks so much for the posts! I found the care tag that came with my clematis. They are in the Clematis Proteus family. Prune group 2. I have a bad feeling that in my haste I may not have planted the sickly one deep enough. I saw a bit of the roots "over" the dirt. I covered them better. I do have some mulch, but not 3 inches of it, as I've read somewhere. The sun to shade ratio seems perfect. Should I go ahead and cut it way back or is this the wrong time to do that? Should I dig it up and make the hole bigger and deeper? I just love this clematis and want it to work out. If it's not going to make it, is it too late to plant a new one in the same spot? If it has the wilt, should I not plant a new one in the same spot?

Thanks again everyone! Have a great Sunday!
ljrmiller
18 years ago
Clematis generally like their "feet" (roots) in the shade, where it's cooler and moister, and their "heads" (top growth) in the sun. However, all bets are off in the Mountain West. The sun is so much brighter at altitudes over 4000 feet, so Clematis seem to enjoy a bit of shade (not DARK shade, but dappled to light shade) and shelter from drying winds in our climate.

I've also found that the viticella varieties (e.g. Etoile Violette, Kermesina, Mme Julia Correvon, Betty Corning) do better and establish more easily than other larger-flowered varieties.

Lisa