Is my clematis OK?

Hi there,

I've got 2 young Clematis Armandii "Apple Blossom" plants, both planted around 3 months ago. I just noticed that one of them looks a bit chlorotic, well it's certainly a much lighter shade of green than it was a couple of weeks ago.

Posting photos of both plants for comparison. Hopefully they'll appear soon.

I can't see any visible damage on it from pests/fungi (although I didn't go at it with a magnifying glass so may have missed something)

It does grow where another clematis previously grew, so maybe it's poor soil? The other one's growing in virgin clay loam tho, so I can't see how that can be so much richer.

 

What happend to your last one that was planted in the same place.

Clematis are prone to Clematis wilt its a fungal infection, when they are planted deeper than when in the pot they can overcome the problem. The top growth dies back, but if planted deep it will shoot from the rootstock.


Trevor

 

These need a warm and sheltered spot because cold winds and temps will see them off, plus these vines are massively thirsty plants.

Planting them in the position you have there means you'll be forever watering them.
When you plant close to a wall you should really plant the rootball a few feet away from the wall and angle it and support it towards the wall because the roots will be much too dry there ..... it'll be very very dry near that wall and you'll need to have the hosepipe on them weekly, for a 10 minute long soaking, without fail, i hope you planted them really deeply and with loads of composted manure too or they'll be even less happy.

The trellis you've provided will need a bit of attention too because clematis climb by wrapping their thin, fine tendrils around thin stems/supports and if that 'support' is square (like the trellis panel), or if the circumference of the stem/support is more than 5 or 6mm those fine tendrils can't cling on - consequently the plant will flop as there is nothing for it to cling on to.

Clematis are really easy plants/vines to grow but you do need to have all the criteria in place first.

 

Hi IdigPerfectSquareHoles. I agree with LouiseD as regarding your trellis. i have now 7 Clematis all growing up Trellising. to give the Tendrils an easier grasp i covered the trellis with a strong plastic Mesh (it comes in rolls @4ft broad). length i do not know ,as i am still using the roll for other projects. another tip, i picked up on this forum was. get a hold of some old roof slates and place them around the bottom of your clematis,it keeps the roots cool in summer. also something i picked up ,again on this forum was (with Clematis think cool feet warm head):WINK1:. IT HAS WORKED FOR ME .

 

I nuked it to clear the space for this one, I just hated the old one it had chlorotic light-green foliage and ugly purple flowers and it wasn't evergreen. Sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings but I do find most clematis varieties really ugly. I love the montana 'Ruebens' that you can see in one of the pictures but it's not evergreen either, and I just wanted some winter foliage so added the armandii.

 

It's quite warm I'd say, it gets a min of 8 hours full sun a day, maybe more I haven't really watched. As it's by the wall it's sheltered as well.

I had little choice of where to plant it, i did plant it a good foot further away from the wall than the old clematis was, but going even further would mean it would run the risk of being ruthlessly murdered by my in-laws who can't park (it's a parking space). I honestly can't remember whether I incorporated anything into the soil as it was a rushed job (I know, I know ) - I have a young kid and most jobs around the house and garden end up being rushed unless they can be done over a number of days. The soil on the site is better than most other spots in the garden so the previous owners must have done something to it. Thanks for the advice on watering tho, I hose it at least once a week but I was actually worried I may be overwatering it because as you can see there's a layer of stones, and underneath the stones there's a sheet of landscaping plastic.

Yeah I know that thanks, the trellises were hung by the previous owners as well and they are in a pretty poor state. I got some new ones last year (another ) but still haven't got round to hanging them

 

Basically I think, feed and water it. Maybe a gentle spray of funguicide, just in case.

 

oh sorry you can't really see it apart from a small twig. But there are two very mature montanas either side of the armandii in question. Hang on I'll try and find a photo

 

there
sorry it's not best quality but I can't take one now as it's gone dark so had to use one of old photos i had on my computer

the armandii in question is using this mature clematis for support at mo, pending installation of new trellis

 

Give it a feed of Sequestrene, that could address the chlorosis, i use it on plants once in a while and it gives them that instant boost.