What happened to my Clematis?

15 years ago

I am just heart sick. I have an approx. 6 yr. old Clematis and it bloomed appr. 2-3 weeks ago. Beautiful, w/about 150 dark purple blooms. We've had a variety of weather and lots of rain. One morning I looked out and all the blooms were wilted over. It had gotten very cold one night (think the night before), down to the 40s, but I don't think there was frost. I thought once the weather warmed up the blooms would spring back to life, but they didn't and now the whole plant looks dead! Everything. A few leaved with green in the middle, but browning from the outside. I am just sick! Thoughts? Cud it have been the cold? I also sprayed whole garden for bugs, but can said safe for all plants.

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Comments (8)

buyorsell888
15 years ago
Could have been the spray you used. Labels have known to be wrong....

Cut it back and fertilize it wit a nice organic fertilizer and keep it well watered.
jean001a
15 years ago
Was the can an aerosol? If so, the propellant can "freeze" plant tissues it's too close to.
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JoAnnaLee
Original Author
15 years ago
Actually, I shouldn't have said can. It was a plastic bottle that you hook up to the hose. It's a concentrate of sorts.
buyorsell888
15 years ago
Spraying an entire garden for bugs can be extremely detrimental. One should always spot treat for a specific problem rather than randomly poisoning an entire garden. Many chemicals can cause damage in heat/sun/drought when they might not at other times of the year.
iris_gal
15 years ago
Look up clematis wilt. I had it happen once and what a shocker it was. Good news, the plant sends up healthy new growth.
buyorsell888
15 years ago
With dark purple blooms chances are it is a Type III and they usually don't wilt. Six year old Clems usually don't wilt either it is a problem of newly planted Clematis.
JoAnnaLee
Original Author
15 years ago
If it was problem with the spray, do you think it will come back this or next year?

Also, thanks much for your responses and support.
buyorsell888
15 years ago
The only way to know is to cut it back and fertilize it and keep it well watered. If it is just cosmetic damage it should pop back this year.