I'm also having trouble with a clematis. Here's a photo of the leaves, the flowers are unaffected (Apple Blossom) and blooming nicely. I've stripped off all affected leaves (the majority of them). The new growth looks healthy, but I'll keep an eye on it to see if it also develops whatever this is. I'm thinking perhaps a fungus. I am in the Pacific Northwest, and this plant is in a new bed (formerly lawn), western exposure with a daylilly at its feet. Any thoughts? Thanks.
When the stress starts on the tips of the leaves like that, your first area to look should be hydration. Is the plant getting enough water where it is, or are the surrounding plants using all the water before it reaches your clem? Or... is the slope of your new bed allowing too much water runoff so that it isn't providing adequate hydration? Unfortunately, wilt also begins with this appearance... where the plant initially appears to have water stress and eventually the entire stem will collapse. How long have your leaves looked like this? is the surrounding ground dry or damp? Are the healthy new leaves coming out on the same stem or on a new one?
I don't think inadequate water is likely the problem. We've had a bit drier early spring than usual, but still lots of natural rainwater (I'm about an hour north of Seattle). I just went and checked out the whole plant, which was new last year so has only a couple main stems. One of the stems is dark brown from the ground up to about 18", while the other one is much more healthy looking. Both stems are getting new leaves with little brown tips that I assume will eventually spread as the photo above. Both stems are blooming. The flowers which looked quite healthy in the last few weeks are starting to get brown on their tips as well, but this could just be their natural ending. I don't really know if the ground is dry. We do so little supplemental watering that I only really notice soggy spots, and this is not one. The grass which previously grew here typically stayed green all summer, with no watering. The clematis is sharing space with a daylilly at its feet, and bleeding heart and salal behind it (under the deck stairs, in shade). The clematis is growing up one of the deck supports. It is also a new deck, primary of cedar. The support is pressure treated (maybe a chemical reaction?) but supported by a metal bracket at the bottom so not buried into the ground. What is wilt?
From what you've written, it definitely sounds like wilt to me. This is by far the best reference I have found for clematis wilt: http://www.mobot.org/GARDENINGHELP/PLANTFINDER/IPM.asp?code=31&group=21&level=s
You can learn about the condition and treatment. and make better diagnosis by looking through the photos showing the decline of an affected plant. Do these photos look like your plant? If so, then follow the recommendations on the Mobot (Missouri Botanical Garden) site.
This message was edited Mar 22, 2010 10:32 PM
Thank you BFG. I think my best defense will be a proactive offense. I've removed all affected leaves and will continue to do so. I will treat remaining plant with Safer fungicide. I am hopeful it will return to a healthy state, but am reconciled to replacing it if need be. If I go to that measure, I will remove and replace as much dirt as I can and spray the new plant with a fungicide as a preventative measure. If I must replace, I will seek out a resistant evergreen clematis (I have built a special trellis and have a picture in my mind of the mature plant growing all along the deck supports overhanging the sun garden below). At this point, it's watch and see.
Well.... 'Apple Blossom' is an evergreen, but it does prefer a "protected" location. If it is wilt, then sometimes you can cut the affected vine entirely to the ground and the plant will rebound from the base. Good luck. I hope it improves for you.
Any suggestions for a hardier more resistant evergreen? Perhaps I should move Apple Blossom while it is still young and start over with something more sturdy. This particular site gets a fair amount of wind, hot afternoon sun, and morning shade.
The wind could be what caused your leaves to wilt. You didn't mention before, does your plant resemble the photos on the Mobot site for the decline? Or was the appearance different? There are many evergreens from which to choose. Are you looking for a particular bloom color? Does the seasonal color of the foliage matter to you?
In the areas where I wanted an evergreen appearance but also wanted the punch of color, I went a different route. Rather than planting an evergreen clematis by itself, I went with an underplanting of jasmine for the evergreen cover and then added my favorite early- and late-season flowering clems. That way, the display has the truly dramatic and large flowers combined with the evergreen vine... and also the small white jasmine flowers and fragrance mixed in.
This message was edited Mar 23, 2010 11:16 AM
Your combo sounds lovely. Jasmine for me is only semi-evergreen, but perhaps another evergreen vine as a host to the clems might be an idea. I actually got the idea from my cousin, who has an evergreen clem softening the entrance to her double garage - I'll have to find out if she knows the cultivar of hers, it is certainly very healthy looking.
In response to your question, my plant resembles the damage on the Mobot site, but doesn't quite match up (always the problem when looking at visuals). I have not noticed the definite 'wilt' from the site -- things just seem to turn brown on the tips and then progressively overtake the leaf until I pinch it off.
I will try treating for fungus and see what happens. As with all of my garden beds, I may need to do some rearranging and changing.
BH, I'm experiencing exactly the same thing with Apple Blossom - I'll try to remember to ask about it when I'm at the nursery next. I wonder if what we're seeing is specific to the PNW. I know that I have a few plants that haven't liked the temperature swings between day and night this spring. 40 degrees is a bit to handle.
I have a similiar evergreen clematis armandii. When newly planted its leaves, older leaves (down from the lower section of the vines) tend to "wilt" like that for the first year....or two. Once established, it's so vigorous that it took down the trelis I had for it. DH finally rebult a more sturdier structure for the evergreen clematis. My suggestion is wait a while before you give up on your Apple Blossoms. From what I saw of A.B. I would adore it should I have one in my garden.
I trimmed off those wilted leaves and discarded them properly (in case if there were any infected). The vines are over 5 year-old and they're going strong. I'm on zone 7b, last winter we had temp. in the teens (farenheit) and it didn't seem to affect it at all. Though, its location is shelted from the northern wind by Azaleas. I love my Clem. No jasmine is going to come close to its beauty.
Perhaps it's a form of clematic acne. I'll see if my youngster outgrows it. So far, with the picking off of affected leaves, it seems to be making a comeback.
Well that's good. Mine isn't getting any new growth, I don't think. :-(
