Clematis plants keep dying
julietuk
Posts: 5
My uncle accidentally cut down the neighbor’s 2-decade-old Clematis montana rubens. The neighbor is an experienced gardener who shares the garden with us, and said that it had been very difficult for her to grow it 2 decades ago (unfortunately, she’s not living at her flat at the moment). I wasn’t there, so I don’t quite know how it happened, but he was pruning shrubs in that general area and somehow cut the wrong thing.
I was tasked with fixing the situation. About 3 weeks ago, I planted two 10-ft Clematis montana rubens on the left and right along the fence so that they could eventually meet up in the middle (planted in deep holes, twice the circumference of the pot, left a space next to the fence to avoid dry soil there, infilled the space with compost/mulch/soil, did not compress soil, put stones around the bases to stop the soil drying out quickly, watered them thoroughly after planting, and planned to water them three times/week in the summer).One of them was already looking worse for wear when it arrived and it promptly died. The place I got it from was happy to replace it (after waiting to see if it would re-shoot), and they are now sending another one in a few days. In the meantime, the formerly healthy one died.
I’m not a gardener, so I’m not sure of the best approach going forward – does anyone have any advice about this? I was thinking it might be best to get two or three small clematis plants and plant them (in about a 1-meter stretch) in place of the most recent one that died(!), and get another two or three and plant them at an additional site along the fence (in a very shaded area), so there will be multiple chances of having one that makes it to next year etc. Would this be a better approach than just getting a fourth 10-ft replacement? Also, if they all die, I could get another lot of small clematis plants to try again in early-to-mid-autumn (which I’ve been told is the best time to plant them, other than spring).
Does anyone have any advice about specific techniques that I could use to make it more likely that one of these replacements will survive? It’s quite hot at the moment (we are in the UK), so I am factoring in trying again in autumn if I fail again now. I’ve heard that clematis like their “feet in shade and faces in the sun”. Should I create some kind of temporary artificial shade for the lower part of the plant, e.g., with gardening shade cloth, just for the summer? Is there a minimum size that I should buy (as the very small ones might not have good root systems)? Should I avoid using a compost with added fertilizer in the summer (and only try it in the autumn)?
Any advice would be appreciated!
Posts
https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/90318/Clematis-montana-var-rubens-Tetrarose-(M)/Details
Montanas want to be huge, and will benefit from deep planting, in good soil that drains well, and with a slow release food of some kind. Don't plant too near the fence - dig a hole about 18 inches away, as the base of fences and walls are drier, and make sure there's a decent bit of soil there. If it's poor, you'll need to add compost to improve it. It sounds as if you did that quite well though. It will also need good support to cling onto
They need huge amounts of water initially to get them established if planting at this time of year, especially if there's other planting around it. Watering can't be done by date - you water according to the health of the plant. I wouldn't put stones round the bottom either - it isn't necessary.
If you bought something at ten feet [not sure how that was possible as they have to be cut back to be transported] it would have been better cutting it back to give it a chance to establish more easily. It's also worth carrying on watering the one you think has died. Clematis are actually quite hard to kill- especially that quickly.
Buy a plant from a recognised clematis grower if your new one also doesn't thrive - not from a supermarket as those are young plants, and really need growing on, or any other outlet like that. There's also no guarantee that they've had good welfare, so as you're inexperienced, they're best avoided. Buying a load of small plants is also pointless.
Look at Taylors, Thorncroft and Hawthornes for plants. Peter Beales [roses] also sell good quality clematis.
However, there's clearly something wrong if they're dying rapidly, so some photos of the site etc would help
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thanks – the website says “Plant with the crown 5-8cm (2-3in) deep to encourage shoots to grow from below ground level”, so I’ll definitely plant the new ones deep in the soil.
Thanks for your advice, Fairygirl. I will add some slow release food (Gro-Sure 6 Month Slow Release Plant Food) to the compost, and they will definitely have support and lots of water.
I rechecked the large ones that I bought, and they were actually 8 ft not 10 ft. How much should I cut the replacement 8-ft one back?
Re getting smaller ones in addition to the 8-ft one, thanks so much for the references to reputable suppliers. The first supplier sells >2-year-old 1-metre C. montana rubens (haven’t looked at the other suppliers yet) – I’m thinking of buying multiple of them now and in Autumn, and hopefully one or two will take.
I will definitely carry on watering the one that most recently started to fail. I’m hoping that the stump of the 20-year-old one will also grow shoots eventually, as a gardener (who couldn’t end up helping me as he was too busy with other jobs) said that it would probably come back and overtake the ones that I plant (though there’s no sign of new growth yet).
Re the planting sites, I cleared both of them of all other plants (and they were not near the 20-year-old clematis). Part of the border is in the shade, along the side of the building (I was thinking of trying a couple of 1-m clematis there, as that’s where the 20-year-old one is), but the two sites I planted the replacements in are much more in the sun (away from the building).
How are you getting an 8 foot clematis? When they're being transported, they're around two to three feet and tied onto canes etc. That's simply for keeping them safe while en route. Anything bigger would be very likely to be badly damaged, so I can't understand any reputable supplier sending out a plant like that. Who did you buy them from?
When watering - you need roughly a full watering can each time, slowly poured on at the roots so that it gets right down into the soil. Many people make the mistake of watering too lightly, and that does more harm than good as it encourages roots to stay near the surface, which is bad for them, and making them even more vulnerable in dry spells. A deep watering every few days is the way to go, rather than a trickle every day, so that the roots get down where the plant needs them.
The gardener is probably right. Most clematis can be cut right back hard, and will grow perfectly well again, as it rejuvenates them, especially if they've outgrown a space or become woody and sparse
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I got the 8-ft clematis off eBay – it was the largest one that I and a friend found after searching the internet for a while (I thought that would be best, as they would have large root systems). Hopefully the difficulty transporting them etc. explains why they didn’t thrive. I will try 1-m ones from the suppliers that you mentioned in future.
Thanks for the watering tips – we’ll put them into practice very soon. I really hope that the old one does regrow eventually (we are continuing to water it)!
Good suppliers will never send out anything younger than 2 yrs old, as those are properly matured, with good root systems, which will then grow on well. They've had the correct care and if they don't survive within the following year or so, they will replace them.
Cut the new one back to a good leaf joint -at around two feet or so. That will make it easier for it to establish.
The problem with buying from random sellers is that you don't always get what you've paid for either.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Okay, that’s really useful advice. Thanks so much for taking the time to reply!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...