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Clematis macropetala...is it dying?

NJN1976NJN1976 Posts: 8
in Problem solving
Can anyone offer any help? My clematis macropetala seems to be dying! I bought and planted it in the spring and it was going great guns and flowered. I have watered it weekly and almost daily in the recent hot weather and it now seems to have died. In the last few days the leaves have turned brown and are beginning to fall off. It is planted against a fence in a north east facing garden in a sunny position. What puzzles me is that it hasn't been watered any more or less than the other clematis and a honeysuckle which are doing well. I've looked up clematis wilt and another problem the name of which escapes me but it does t appear to be either of these affecting it. There is no mildew, aphids or smelly stuff coming from it. Any advices on this would be greatly appreciated.

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,131

    Hi image  Have a look at the stems - have they been stripped of their outer layer by snails?  For some reason they find some clematis more tasty than others and they climb quite high into the branches and graze on the bark. image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • NJN1976NJN1976 Posts: 8
    Hi Dovefromabove, just had a look at the stems and although very woody looking at the very bottom they don't appear to have lost any bark or not that I can tell anyway! I will upload a photo so you can see exactly what I'm talking about.
  • NJN1976NJN1976 Posts: 8

    image

     

     

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,131

    Crikey!  That doesn't look very happy does it?  I wonder if it's really too warm for it there in what you say is a sunny spot.  Clematis like to have their roots in the cool shade. 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • SwissSueSwissSue Posts: 1,447

    One of mine did that and I chopped it off at ground level and forgot about it, thinking it was dead, now 2 yrs later it has sprung up again and is full of flowers. Also, to keep the roots cool, plant a bushy perennial in front of it to give some shade.

  • CharlieBotCharlieBot Posts: 208

    Mine in a pot was going the same way so I planted some annuals round the base and eventually it started growing again.

  • NJN1976NJN1976 Posts: 8
    It doesn't get a great deal of sun but something to think about nevertheless. Could it be that I have either under or over watered it? I cut one of the branches half way down to see if it was dead and it was still green inside. Also could someone tell me if I should be applying a liquid feed to the clematis and honeysuckle I have, I am new to gardening so this is a whole new world for me hence all my questions! My neighbour uses a tomato feed for lots of different plants she has. As I said the plant was looking really healthy only a week ago and within a matter of a few days it now looks like this so I am wondering where I have gone wrong :0( I have another variety clematis further along in my garden again planted in front of the fence which looks ok, nothing like the macropetala but slightly wispier looking than it once was so I am concerned that this too could head the same way! I will look to plant something in front of them at the base but until then will bark at the roots do the job? Thanks everyone!
  • CharlieBotCharlieBot Posts: 208

    I know bark can be toxic to roses, not sure about other plants. I have pebbles at the base of my other clemayis. Maybe you have overfed it it? I did this with some dahlias and it burned the leaves. Thankfully 11/12 survived.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,131

    Where I have clematis planted in a sunny spot I have laid some old terracotta tiles over the root area to protect the roots from the sun's heat until the plant has established deeper roots and the planting around it has grown up enough to shade it. 

    I think I'd stop watering, cut the clematis down to about 12 - 18" from the ground, provide some shade for the roots and cross my fingers image

    When the soil has dried out a bit, water once a week in dry weather. 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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