Quite a few clematis develop yellow leaves at the bottom. They very often will fall off leaving the plants with what is called bare legs. Nothing really can be done for it besides to prune it back. One thing to try first however is to give it some nutrients since plants will often loose the bottom, older leaves if they are nutritionally deficient.

Thanks nckvilledudes,
For the information.
What type of nutrient would you recommend?
Would rose food or Miracle grow help?
What about some Epson Salt?
Thanks
Mary-Jane

Mary Jane, any type of timed release fertilizer would work. Some people swear by rose or tomato food since it is higher in phosphorus and potash than nitrogen. I personally have used 13-13-13 and gotten good results. I have also used alfalfa pellets. I tend to use what is available at the time or what I have on hand rather than be regimented into using one thing exclusively.

I would prune it down, hard in early spring. That will insure it puts out more growth lower on the plant. By hard pruning the first few springs you get II's to be less leggy than they are naturally. This reduces lower leaf drop and bare stems.

Never has helped my type IIs BorS. The legginess issue is a genetic issue that can't be resolved by pruning techniques unless you prune them later in the season after they have flowered and you cut them back to force new flowers.

Definitely has helped mine.

The ones that I hard pruned and pinched from the start are lush and green and blooming all the way to the ground.

The ones I didn't had one or two bare stems six feet in the air with a few blooms. The last of those is now a foot high.

I took "no prune" and "little prune" to heart. Sadly.

It was my visit to Gail Austin's garden in early Spring 2006 where all of her Clematis (mostly II's) are blooming and lush from the dirt to their tops that clued me in. She told me to hard prune them and keep them pinched back too. I went home and did a few of them with great results then I found this forum and you were saying the same thing.

When I first started I didn't cut into brown wood, only right above growing points and the results were great but then I went ahead this year and whacked them off at a foot tall. If they die, they die. I'm sick of looking at their scraggly bare stems. However, none have died. They are all sprouting.

Too funny BorS. I feel the same way about my type IIs. Survive or be replaced. Again however, the tendency to have bare legs is a genetic predisposition that will not normally respond to pruning to prevent the condition. The best way to deal with it is to hard prune right after flowering stops and then you won't have to worry about it.

I treat my type II's like threes and have leaves to the ground as well. I thought the yellowing leaves were the result of low moisture because it only happens when we stop getting rains in July. Up until a couple of weeks ago, I didn't see a yellow leaf - we were getting ample rain. Now that the ground is drying out, I am seeing yellow leaves.

Amount of rainfall or supplemental watering has not helped mine one bit Janet. I can water until I am blue in the face and the plants that want to have bare legs still have bare legs. These are type IIs that have been treated as type IIIs as far as pruning goes for their entire lives.

Another factor that you and BorS may be overlooking may have to do with the number of the days of heat and humidity levels people in the south deal with. Move here and try your techniques for full greenery up and down the length of clematis stems and you might be finding something entirely differently.

Thanks nckvilledudes
I fertilized it today hopefully it will help.
Thanks everyone for your help.
Mary-Jane

I don't think I am overlooking climate differences. Climate has a lot to do with our different experiences. For you yellowing leaves in mid summer may be normal, but here it often means the plant isn't getting the right amount of moisture.

The OP just planted the Multi Blue this year. Plants that aren't settled into the ground often struggle when there isn't ample rain, and supplemental water from the tap, although necessary, will never be as good as a soaking rain. If the soil is dry it wicks away the water that is put around the plant, so watering has to be more frequent. I am not saying that the OP isn't watering her plant, but it's hard to realize, sometimes, how much water you have to put on some plants, especially ones that have been recently planted or transplanted.

Also, I am now a firm believer in using a fertilizer that is higher in phosphate on plants right after planting. I've been using a 4-10-3 fertilizer on perennials, shrubs and a tree too, and have had a lot less plant shock than I've had when I didn't use the high phosphate fertilizer. I am also rather surprised that I haven't had to water these plants as often as the ones that didn't receive the high phosphate fertilizer. Since the plant is going to put its energies towards growing roots, might as well give it the food it needs the most.

Mary-Jane,

I usually plant clematis to grow through my roses, hydrangeas and other shrubs, but if that doesn't work I plant day lilies (the 24 inch tall ones) in front of all my clematis. It really looks gorgeous, even if they do not bloom at the same time, the foliage on day lilies is clean looking.

Couldn't agree more about how newly planted vines need more water than most people realize Janet, especially when the summer is dry. That is another reason that I recommend growing younger plants out in pots instead of putting them directly in the ground. When in the ground, young plants are competing with all surrounding plants and the soil itself for moisture since, as you pointed out, the surrounding soil can wick away moisture from where you are watering. At least in a pot, you know the plant in it is getting the water you supply.

Hi Everyone,
The thing is I planted two different clematis this year at the same time.
One is nice and green it's Niobe and the Multi Blue. They are in a similar area. And I water them well. Only the Multi Blue as the yellowing leaves.

Thanks maryinspokane those are great ideas.
Thanks
Mary-Jane

All I can repeat is that different type IIs have different genetics and will respond differently to summer conditions. Obviously your MultiBlue is one of the type IIs that, in your garden anyway, that will have yellowing lower leaves and then bare legs. Your Niobe obviously won't. I think you answered your own question unless the fertilizer perks the plant up and stops the lower leaf yellowing and drops.

Maryjane,

I forgot about this earlier.

The first I planted my Multi Blue it looked terrible - yellow leaves, wilting, and ugly distorted blooms. The second year wasn't much better. This year it did pretty good. So far, not a single leave is yellow and it has withstood the hot, dry conditions very well.

Hi Janet,
That's good to know I hope that's the case with mine.
Mary-Jane

Mine has never wilted and is one of my favorites. :)

The only thing that set it back was being transplanted as a mature plant. The neighbors trimmed their trees and Hagley Hybrid was frying and I ended up moving Multi-Blue when I moved Hagley and it wasn't too happy with me. It grew scraggly. So I whacked it a few weeks ago and it looks much, much better now.

Thanks buyorsell888,
This one was fairly big when I purchased it. I will also try cutting it down this spring to help it along.
Thanks
Mary-Jane