Hi: I am also new to clematis, but I am learning quickly. I know that they are very resilient, especially if they come with a sturdy size rootball. So, I assume yous do have nice size rootballs...so,

1) Make sure that you amend your soil wel, meaning mix lots of compost cow manure (not dehydrated form) or its equivilent to the whole bed befor you plant...really dig deep and turn everything/mix well.

2) you could add a handful of bonemeal to the mix, along with a handful of granulated lime if your soil is on the acidic side. But I hear this lime is not all that necessary. But your bed must be well draining.

3) Dig a huge and very deep hole...bury the baby clematic at least 4 inches from where the soil line was in its pot. Before you plant, try to pull the roots out away from the ball...soaking it in water for 15 minutes can also be beneficial.

4) The key is to plant very deep...the deeper the better. Once you have planted the clematic...I would suggest you take a nice clean, sterilized scissor, and find a first nice pair of leaves from the base of the plant, and right above where the leaves are...cut!!!! This way, you clean out all your fungus infested leaves, and you allow your plant to grow new leaves, and also concenrate on getting its rootball adjusted without expending energy with all that original mess up on top.

5) In a few days, you will see fresh green buds where the leaves meet the stalk (where you had cut so mercilessly)....that's the new shoots. As it grows, train it onto a trellis or similar support.

6) Let it grow this season...by next spring, usually when the Forsythia blooms, and time to trim roses, you do this harsh cut back again to your clematis.

7) You may have to do the harsh cut back one more season after that, no matter what pruning group so that you can help your plant develop multi-stem systems.

8) Later, several years from now, prune as recommended for your group type.

Clematis loves tough love. dave

The info provided by Dave is sound advice about general treatment and care of clematis plants. However, if your plants are prone to mildew, the advice given will not stop the development and spread of mildew in your plants. Depending on the clematis you purchased, you might have gotten some that are more prone to mildew than others. If this is the case, merely cutting back the top foliage will not solve the problem. There are a wide variety of fungicides out there that can prevent mildew on your clematis leaves but the thing to remember is that once the clematis has mildew the use of fungicides will not clear the situation up. You need to start treating the leaves prior to the mildew showing up in order to keep it in check. Doing so will help insure that all the new leaves don't get mildew.

Case in point.
Here is a picture of clematis addisonii.
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The leaves to the left in the picture were the initial ones to come up this spring. I was rather lax in spraying them with the fungicide and they consequently got mildew. Once I saw this I began spraying with a fungicide and the new leaves that appeared are still free of the gross discoloration and are normal in appearance. Notice however that the spraying did not and will not cure the already affected leaves.

I have tried quite a few fungicides over the course of the years and have found one that is Neem oil based that seems to do the best job. Here is the one I found that is doing the job for me finally. This is not an advertisement for it, but rather just my recommendation as to what has worked best for me! :0

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Correct, fungicides won't kill fungus but they protect new growth from getting it.

I hate spraying but I've a ton that look like that......

Many thanks for the assist being a relatively new (serious)gardner I need all the help I can get.
Peter

Dear buyorsell,
Where do you buy the Garden Safe,the store I went to didn't have it and I hate shopping.
Thanks,
Peter

Peter, I purchased Garden Safe at one of the Big Box stores--right now I can't remember if it was Lowes, Home Depot, or Wal-Mart.

I googled Garden Safe Fungicide and got the following info. Call the 1-800 # to inquire where in your area it might be available.

Garden Safe® Brand is a product of Spectrum Brands  a leading manufacturer and marketer of consumer lawn and garden products. Garden Safe Brand offers a wide range of effective natural and organic growth and control products, from all purpose and specialty plant foods and potting mixes to insecticides, fungicides and other pest control products. To learn more about Garden Safe Brand products, call 1-800-257-3379 or visit our web site at www.gardensafe.com.