Clematis: Need help on Comtess de bouchard and her lower leaves, 0 by JeanneTX

JeanneTX wrote:
Dawn..Clematis "Comtesse de Bouchard" is ONE of my most favorites..she blooms her head off for me...she finished round one back in June and I hard pruned her and she is growing back up and will be blooming again for me in no time.alas, that is the great thing about living in a zone with a longer growing season.I most definitely WOULDN'T remove her...mine looks worse than your by a yard..in my hot climate she had brown leaves about 2 foot up off the soil line..but she is still a star in my gardens..forgive her for her "worn-out" look during the hot times and look past those ugly bottoms and look Up at her gorgeous blooms..she truly is a worthwhile asset in anyone's gardens IMHO...Jeanne