The leaves of my clematis armandii have been looking withered for over two weeks and are mottled brown. I have tried breaking up the soil a bit to make sure water can get through, fertilizing lightly with slow release clematis fertilizer, mulching and of course, watering. Some new growth is appearing and looks good, though I did notice that one young shoot looked withered as if it has been broken. The old part remains as described above. There is no black on the leaves or stems, which I understand is one of the signs of 'clematis wilt'. The clematis is two years old and has been previously doing very well. It is planted on the north side of my property. It gets plenty of sun, and in previous years I kept it mulched with sea soil which worked very well. It is located about a foot away from a 2 foot high stone wall and about 4 feet away from a medium rhodo. Other clematis (Montana and Polish Spirit) in the area are doing well. There is a cedar nearby. A hydrangea closer to the cedar than the clematis armandii does not seem to have problems of dryness. I would love to get to the source of the problem so would appreciate any advice, suggestions or information. Thanks in advance. Helena d
Thank you for your replies. As the clematis bloomed in March, it never occurred to me that freezing might be the problem. I will cut back to new growth and see what happens. This heat doesn't help matters. Thanks again. Helena d