The top part of the plant is gorgeous and just starting to bloom her head off.....however I would say the bottom half looks terrible. Now that being said - I don't think she has been over watered or under watered. Here are a few photo's to explan.
Need help on Comtess de bouchard and her lower leaves
here is another shot...some of the leaves are yellowing but then they have like brown spots of them too???
just another ugly shot
same ugliness...any ideas? The rest of my clematis are fine.....just this one....and it has tons of blooms just starting to open. Advice??
I have some liners, especially, that have the same problem. The upper leaves and new leaves good great. I've just been trimming the bad ones off. I will be watching to see what advice you get for this. I just got through trimming a young Belle of Woking that has that problem.
comtesse is my worst for this problem dawn. (i am serious , out of virtually 300, and over 400 clem plants, am afraid to count, varieties this one is the worst) usually reds have the worst reputation for brown off...but a big vigorous cometesse is the worst in my garden...i pick the leaves off as best possible and after that or without that call into play deb fishers famous quote "look up , not down". this is also the real reason for companion plants. i have one comtesse behind a boxwood shrub and it is less of an issue.....so bottom line (haha,pardon the pun) is plant something in front, pick off dead hideous leaves and look up. your season is shorter ,but a hard prune after blooming sometimes helps a little the following year, even tho you are hard pruning this clem in the spring. not sure why on that. but after blooms wane, do some surgery so you don;thave to look at it .i did not get to mine yet, blooms are gone, but will do so as soon as i return form my trip. was watering tonight and noticing how hidious my oldest one looked...
Hmmm that is very interesting to know. I noticed it the first time last year but because we had a lot of rain I thought that was the problem - however I think this is going to happen every year then....gross. I don't know if I can stand looking at how bad her base is now......she might be one I get rid of in time and replace with something that remains a little more green....that is disappointing.
maybe some others have some tips to avoid. but i have been growing this clem for 8 years and most years are just like that with it. would love to know how to avoid and will ask the true experts out in portland on this.
i think it is unavoidable, but you should consider a nice shrub in front as well as prompt surgery after blooming!
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
Dawn;,,
Get a fungicide and spray the plant... That will help stop that from happening... From your third and fourth pictures it looks to be black leaf spot which is a fungi.. It's in all soils... The spores get air born and settle on the plants and damp conditions start another cycle of it's growth... Garden Safe makes a 3 in 1 spray that will take care of the problem.... Comtesse is a beauty, and you surly don;t want to dig it out....
Dave