I have uploaded 2 photos, hopefully the variety can be identified. I planted last summer, to did not thrive last year either, when it was not so hot and dry. i was hoping for the clematis to cover the whole fence!
They take several years to be mature enough to cover well Karen, and that's young plant. They also need a lot of water to thrive. It's probably far too near the fence and that won't help with moisture retention either. I wouldn't worry to much about it though, you just need to be patient! It might be Madame Julia Correvon - it's very popular and readily available everywhere. If it is - it's Group 3, I think, so needs cutting back in late winter - right down to about a foot or so. That will help it produce more stems I'd add another wire lower down too - once you prune it back, you can then train new growth horizontally. Climbers want to go up - so tying in horizontally encourages better coverage as they progress.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
It also might be Rouge Cardinal, but hard to tell from the photos. It's also very popular - lovely clematis. Had one in a previous garden, and considering it for this one. Both Group 3 anyway, and advice the same. There are so many varieties though, so it can be hard to ID them. I'm not an expert in any way, but going by the place you bought it, I've picked two very common clematis which are often available in outlets other than GCs or nurseries. It can also be beneficial to plant deeper than the pot they're in - unlike most plants. You can help it by making sure it's really, really well watered, and applying a mulch of compost or well rotted manure, or similar, to help retain that moisture. Even established clems have struggled this year though.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Planting clematis: I always remember the advice that a pit 18x18x18 inches - with a feeding tube in one corner ( bathroom basin waste size) with notches plus John Innes no 3 as the medium, was sensible plus planting deep. Then a good 2-3 inch mulch from time to time. This year ( year 2) I pinched out the growing tips to encourage side shoots
I've compared your pic to mine,and although the flower looks very similar,the leaves on mine are more "ferny" looking,which is what makes me think it's a montana,I just don't know which one,but it has flowered profusely throughout the summer.
The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
Looks like Rouge Cardinal to me and nothing wrong with the plant, it has had lots of flowers for first year, the browning from the base upwards is quite common, usually caused by lack of moisture, but some clematis discard their spent lower leaves, to put more energy into producing fruit.
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i was hoping for the clematis to cover the whole fence!
I wouldn't worry to much about it though, you just need to be patient!
It might be Madame Julia Correvon - it's very popular and readily available everywhere. If it is - it's Group 3, I think, so needs cutting back in late winter - right down to about a foot or so. That will help it produce more stems
I'd add another wire lower down too - once you prune it back, you can then train new growth horizontally. Climbers want to go up - so tying in horizontally encourages better coverage as they progress.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I'm not an expert in any way, but going by the place you bought it, I've picked two very common clematis which are often available in outlets other than GCs or nurseries.
It can also be beneficial to plant deeper than the pot they're in - unlike most plants. You can help it by making sure it's really, really well watered, and applying a mulch of compost or well rotted manure, or similar, to help retain that moisture. Even established clems have struggled this year though.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...