Is it worth planting a weak clematis (Perle d'Azur, Group 3)
endamck
Posts: 4
Hoping some more experienced gardeners can advise. After researching clematis I decided on a Perle d'Azur. The only one I could get was a very poor specimen, about 1m tall but a few dead leaves and a few pale green wilty leaves, hardly any in total. Half of me thinks its not worth planting & I should wait til new stocks (end of summer apparently) or choose another one (reluctant after researching this one). The other half of me thinks I should just plant it & give it a go. But I'm not keen to waste the summer on a (possibly) dying plant. I know there's no guarantees, but do those of you who've planted out more plants think it's worth giving it a go, maybe once it's in a good spot it'll rally & thrive, or should I cut my losses & plant it somewhere inconspicuous just in case it survives. Oh & I've looked a photos of clematis wilt online, it doesn't look quite like that, more just like a rubbish plant. Sorry to be so long & thank you!
Posts
I now always plant new clematis in big pots so I can nurture them and let them develop a strong root system before I sling them out in the hurly burly of the borders. I do this because I have lost clems planted too soon - tho most do reappear, magically, a couple of years later. I have lost others to OH being just a tad vigorous with the hoeing!
Try potting yours up and giving it good John Innes no 3 compost mixed with a bit of MPC for moisture retention and water it well. Give it an occasional feed of liquid tomato fertiliser to help it along. Make sure you water it well first and plant it 3 or 4 inches/10cms deeper than it was in its pot to encourage new shoots to grow from the roots. Cut it back to a healthy pair of leaves.
Look after it, give it some canes for support and then protect it over winter and plant it out next spring.
What's the alternative?
You might as well plant it rather than chucking it on the compost heap
It was whether I plant it in the original planned location (or somewhere less central in the garden & get a new one of different kind for the 'prime' location). Anyway I'm going to go with Obelixx advice (thank you). I'll pot it up this weekend and see how it does. Meanwhile I'll get a different one for the original place & replace it if my perle d'Azur recuperates by next spring. Thank you.
Perle d'Azure is an excellent clematis and not prone to wilt. If your plant is in a 2 litre deep pot with good root system, then stand it in a bucket of cold water for a couple of hours, chop it hard back and then plant it out, about 2 inches deeper than it was when in its pot, it will soon send new shoots from the crown below ground. Then prune it hard back in February, every February. Perle d'Azure is special.
I grew Perle d'Azure in my last garden (shady inner city dirt) ..... it performed well; it's a beautiful clematis
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Don't worry sharmck - clematis are generally pretty tough, especially once they get going properly. It'll come away if it gets the appropriate treatment as suggested already.
Treat yourself to another variety too - but pick a healthier specimen to give yourself an easier time
Have a look online at some of the specialist growers too, if you don't have a good garden centre/nursery near you. There are so many to choose from - for any site/aspect and time of year.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thank you for all the love for the Perle d'Azur! I am looking forward to its recovery now with more optimism. But if it does fail I will definitely search out another (in better health, fairygirl!). Can't wait for the particular shade of blue. Thank you.
Not the easiest clematis to propagate, Perle d'Azure. The leaf joints are much farther apart than on most other clematis, so less cutting material.