Not just you. I recently noticed that my formerly HUGE purple sage is no more. And I miss it. The other sage plants are doing just fine, including one that is running rampant(which is OK with me).

I've tried a bunch of clematis this year and they are just all full of brown leaves and looking dead or almost dead. One particular - C. fremontii which I always wanted and finally got can't get a break. The squirrels just keep knocking it back until it stopped trying to grow. The roots looked alive but now they are digging at it again and completely shredding the top. I think I might put a freeze on any new clematis. (Now I know I will be finding more).