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Duchess of Edinburgh Clematis

julia.hall2461julia.hall2461 Posts: 63
in Plants
This stunning clematis grew well & had a lot of lovely blooms last year. It’s grown vigorously this year already with lots of new shoots & even some buds. But I’ve noticed today two of very top shoots “flacid” & drooping. Imo it’s not clematis wilt but does anyone out there have any suggestions? Many thanks 
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  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Would need to see it. More info would help too - how old is it, where and how are you growing it, and what sort of soil is it in - light, free draining, heavier, moisture retentive?

    It may simply have shot up when conditions suit, and the root isn't supporting the top growth just now. They usually sort themselves out as they toughen up.

    I never found it a very satisfactory clem. I remember Richard Hodson, who owns Hawthorne's Clematis nursery saying on the forum that it was inclined to have a lot of foliage and not flower terribly well. I ditched it.  
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • julia.hall2461julia.hall2461 Posts: 63
    Thanks for your reply. The plant is two years old 
  • julia.hall2461julia.hall2461 Posts: 63

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    You need to use soft string for it - not plastic stuff. You're quite likely to do damage to soft stems with that - and, more importantly,  the growing buds in the first pic.  
    It looks healthy enough - like most of the large flowered clematis, they take several years to reach maturity and flower well  :)

    I don't think your pot and trellis will be enough if it continues to grow well. It becomes a large spreading plant, so you'll be constantly tying it in otherwise. 
    I can't see the pot well enough - what size is it - it looks a bit small. There seems to be quite a lot of other stuff there too. What did you use to plant it with and how are you maintaining it?
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • julia.hall2461julia.hall2461 Posts: 63
    Hi - it’s in a pot with trellis / pot measures 50cm by 30 & clematis is only plant in there 
    I borrowed twine from a neighbour tbf as I’d left my soft ties at home - I’ve only tied loosely tbh this am just to secure plant as an interim measure & was very careful not damage delicate shoots 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Is the 50 the height or is it the 30? They do need enough depth for the roots, so 30 cm would be a bit short  :)

    That's good re the ties though - the new stems are very soft, and it's easy to damage them, so that should be fine once you get those sorted.  :)

    It just looked like there was another plant to the right of it, which is why I asked. They need decent hearty soil with good drainage to do their best. Compost is ok for a short while, but not for more than a few months. They should also be planted a bit deeper than whatever pot they come in, as they produce new shoots from below the soil level, which is how they become bigger, stronger plants too  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • julia.hall2461julia.hall2461 Posts: 63
    It’s in a good quality compost with good drainage. I’m using a sea weed plant food. It’s been a very sunny warm day here & my partner thought perhaps clematis needed a good drink. I’ve had a lot of success with clematis & brown them up a plum tree & up obelisks in garden of house we’re renovating 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Seaweed will encourage a lot of foliage, not flowers. You need something like tomato food or one of the granular slow release foods to encourage flowering instead. They certainly need well watered when in containers too, especially through summer.
    I think your wilting foliage is down to too much seaweed creating a lot of soft growth, as I said earlier   :)

    Your compost will only be enough to sustain it for a few months, so if you're keeping it in a pot, you'll need something heftier. A soil based compost - the John Innes types which are available in GCs etc.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • julia.hall2461julia.hall2461 Posts: 63
    Hi yes I always use John Innes type composts. I’ve got loads of tomato feed so will use it on all my clematis from now on. You always give excellent advice btw - you helped re yellow courgettes - I’m growing Shooting Star which are currently doing very well in the greenhouse 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Oh that's great if you've found info helpful. Hope the courgettes do well   :)

    The clematis growers say that feeding should stop when flowering starts, so that's also something to bear in mind. I think your plant will toughen up over the next month or two though. Fingers crossed   :)

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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