clematis

Clematis wilt, believe it or not, is quite rare, (when planted correctly) but it could be what is wrong. When you say that you have the roots in shade, do you mean just that or have you planted deeply too? Clematis like to be planted at least 4 inches below soil level.

A pic will help, hun.

it was in a big pot and i planted to the depth of that but it stayed at soil hieght sort of thing, maybe i planted it to loosely or something, i surrounded the root so it would stay in the shade, its the 3rd clematis ive bought but the only one thats done this,should i just cut it back now it as wilted or is there something i can do to it to wake it up again?, ill try and upload a photo later but im at work all day so wouldnt be till late

I think it was Wilt. I had the same problem with Clematis 'Princess of Wales'. It came back 2 years running but once it got to the bud stage it wilted away. I gave up and bought another clematis which is fine. It can be a certain clone, I could try 'Princess of Wales ' again and all may be well!

Clematis wilt, I find, is pretty common. You just need to keep a close eye on the plants and as soon as you see what you so clearly describe, a shoot that's withered and dying back from the top, nip or cut it out right at the bottom of the plant. If that's the only shoot there is, don't worry, it'll come back the following year, or possibly even later the same year. In terms of planting clematis, your positioning was right, but next time you plant one, try making a larger hole, lay the plant at an angle, sort of on its side, and rearrange the top growth so that's coming up out of the hole, doesn't matter if a bit of the top growth gets buried too. This encourages the plant to produce shoots from the rootball because it senses the light above it and you should get a bigger plant. And never give up on a clematis - I once had one that suddenly regrew after 4 years.

You also need to water the soil around the base of the plant with a fungicide as the organism is soil borne rather than wind borne. Also watch out for snail damage to the base of the plant as this is often where the fungus gains entry.

Hello Bamboo - what an excellent idea - planting it at such an angle, it sprouts from the sides - I'll definitely try that next time. I usually plant them that way towards a wall/fence but never thought of almost sideways!

thankyou all ill try all the things you suggested,ill cut it off at the base and wait for its return

That'll teach me to shut my mouth. One of mine is wilting now. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!! An established one too.

hope you sort it out Llew, good luck and thanks for all your help