Clematis killer

[Deleted User]

robatwork said:

Hi all,

In 2020 I purchased and planted 3 x different Clematis plants - actually this collection Spring Clematis Collection - JParkers in different beds - one on a different side of the garden.

They grew really well for the last 2 years and are all pretty big - more than 2m across.

They are now, all 3, dead. Deceased. Ceased to be. Shuffled off...etc. etc... No green under the stem surface, twigs snap, and no buds. All other plants next to them are healthy and alive.

What has happened? Was this winter a mass Clematis killer?

(If it's helpful, this is in S England)

I would say they, possibly, were able to cling to life for those first 2 years but thereafter struggled to get going again.

Drought and windburn are the commonest cause of die-back, their location and soil conditions dictating this.

Another important factor, in planting, is to have planted its roots in the shade but training the growth to the sun - some gardeners like to place slate or pebbles to shade the roots, which is fine as long as the soil its in is damp, if its not it'll just struggle to get the rain to the rootball.

robatwork

I'm the first to criticise "eats, shoots and leaves" threads.

So partly to practise on the new look forum, and partly because some of you have been worried about my 

They are now, all 3, dead. Deceased. Ceased to be. Shuffled off...etc. etc... No green under the stem surface, twigs snap, and no buds. All other plants next to them are healthy and alive.

clematis(es?). One has decided to regrow from the ground - nothing from the original stem but loads of new growth. Already bought and planted more but bless the effort from this little fighter!

Dustyevsky

Last winter was an odd 'un. Down in our dell, 'something' wiped out a common Alder and a Buddleia 'Dartmoor' planted next to each other. Neither is known to be less than hardy, so I might have put it down to soil conditions e.g. someone burying something noxious there (theres a buried back axle  not far away!) but other apparent losses in kinder places make me feel it wasn't that.

I learned in the 2009/10 winter not to write plants off too quickly. Sure enough, a Cercis and a Sophora are shooting from low down where the tops are dead. Also, Viburnum tinus mysteriously failing in an established hedge are making a come-back. However, the Alder and the Buddleia are definitely deceased.

I didn't think winter 2022/3 was that bad, but there was a very cold snap immediately after a wet period. Didn't last long, but plants in pots really felt it. Always a gamble with some of them, and with no roof on the polytunnel then, the odds were bad!

Farway

Oooh, hope for my clematis then, it also suddenly ceased this Spring, just went limp and then it was all over

Dustyevsky

Farway said:

Oooh, hope for my clematis then, it also suddenly ceased this Spring, just went limp and then it was all over

Definitely, or 'defiantly' for those on autocorrect!

[Deleted User]

robatwork said:

I'm the first to criticise "eats, shoots and leaves" threads.

So partly to practise on the new look forum, and partly because some of you have been worried about my 

They are now, all 3, dead. Deceased. Ceased to be. Shuffled off...etc. etc... No green under the stem surface, twigs snap, and no buds. All other plants next to them are healthy and alive.

clematis(es?). One has decided to regrow from the ground - nothing from the original stem but loads of new growth. Already bought and planted more but bless the effort from this little fighter!

Totally normal for a plant that's been alive all along but struggling to thrive due to waterlogging or drought.

-taff

One of my friends had four , one on each post of a pergola, well established, no problems, then after this winter, bam! all dead...All cut right back , one is now growing again..She thinks it was clematis wilt, I think it was the prolonged cold.. We'll see If it continues to grow and live, cold, if it dies back again, wilt...

robatwork

I left all the growth as I wanted a frame for the new Clematii to grow up. Up to today conditions have been great - sunny, rainy...and today I think I'll be lighting the fire!

[Deleted User]

Clematis is an easy plant to grow as long as -
..... it's very deeply planted (lower than ground surface level),
......very cool and shaded aspect at the roots and full sun at the head (almost damp)
......drained soil instead of a compact clay one,
......away from a draughty or windy sites,
......well watered but not overwatered,
...... its roots need plenty of space so in a pot it's unlikely to thrive longer than a couple of seasons in a pot of only 12" high.