By Gooseygander
Essex,
United Kingdom 
What do I do with my Clematis?
I inherited at a young clematis magenta from a relative. When i got it in March, it was only a few inches tall and seemed to be thriving. I planted it out, probably about June time. Although it's still alive it doesn't seem to be doing very well and only has a few leaves on it.
Is there likely to be anything I did or didn't do when I planted it out? Is there something i can do now to help it thrive or does it just take time for it to get used to being planted out?
7 Aug, 2011
Answers
Thanks for your help. I'll give that a try. As it is in full sun, should I put something in front of it to shade the roots?
7 Aug, 2011
If there's nothing growing in the ground over them, then yes, a few stones might help, but if there's grass or low plants in front, you don't need to.
7 Aug, 2011
I suspect water is the issue - if you planted it against a fence or wall, and its less than foot away from that fence or wall, that's too close, means its in the 'rain shadow' created by the vertical surface. Leave the hose running at the base of the plant on a trickle for a couple of hours at least, and make sure you water the plant with a couple of gallons every 5 days in dry weather, especially if its also windy. It takes time for plants to establish a good root system - once it has, other than a period of extensive drought, your plant shouldn't require watering at this level.
7 Aug, 2011