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Clematis Armandii not doing too well

angela.schildangela.schild Posts: 3
in Problem solving
Hi. I wonder if you can help me.  I have a clematis armandii in my garden.  It is about 6 years old and is scrambling up a silver birch which I love.  This year it flowered like normal, but now the bottom leaves are all dying and I don't know why.  Nothing that I can think of has changed.  Any suggestions?  I don't think it's clematis wilt, nor does it seem to be slug damage.  I was going to to try and cut off all the damaged leaves but don't know if that is the right approach.  And if it is, what do I do with the stems.  Help please! (sorry, I don't know how to rotate the pics).
Many thanks in advance.

Posts

  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    I've always found that C armandii like a good root run in the shade and their head in the sun.  It's possible that yours has eventually run out of room/water/nutrients  being so close to the birch and the fence ?
  • angela.schildangela.schild Posts: 3
    Hi Phillipa
    Possibly.  What can I do if that is the case?  Feed it?  Should I strip off the dead leaves? 
    I am a rank amateur so really don't know the best way forward, but am very willing to learn.
    Thank you!
  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445
    I'd remove anything dead, it's no use to the plant and spoils it for you. Water and a feed never hurts. This is an aspect of Clem armandii that I dislike, at least yours are where you can reach to cut them. Mine likes to climb yards up into a Yew tree and then die back, way out of reach and clinging on tight so I can't pull them out


    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    This clematis is renowned for hanging onto unsightly dead brown leaves. Most evergreens shed their dead leaves around April but Clem armandii ones don't tend to drop off. At a guess yours have died off due to the recent very high temps, lack of water and possibly hot drying winds depending on your location.

    It won't hurt the plant to cut the dead leaves off but it's a very laborious job, leave the stems of course and they should produce new leaves, maybe in cooler weather.

    A good feed and mulch with manure around the base after a good watering might help as well.

    Good luck.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    Ours has done the same but we also have a lot of new growth so we never worry about the browning leaves.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
     I have given up on Clem. armandii - too much hard work.  My best advice is to divide it into growth in two directions.  Cut one half right back every now and again.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • angela.schildangela.schild Posts: 3
    Thanks all - will give it a go.  🤞🏻
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