Garden Centre

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Clematis (and wilt)

A friend of mine was panicking about clematis wilt yesterday so I went round to have a look. Now if you get it, or rather your plant does, clematis wilt is very bad news indeed. The foliage turns black overnight and the whole plant just falls over and dies, but it’s a much rarer condition than most people think and there are numerous other causes for wilt – in fact I’d say that a clematis is likely to wilt just to wind you up!

The first thing to do is NOT to panic – check if the foliage is brown rather than pure black and whether it has veining – unless it’s coal black and the veins have disappeared, it’s not clematis wilt.

Then decide what’s going on – the likely causes of browning, droopy or crispy leaves and a plant sagging on its supports are:

• Brittle stems have twisted and broken in windy conditions – if this is your cause, buy some good supports, and clematis netting instead of relying on ties which can allow the plant to snap
• Slugs and snails (and I’ve heard that earwigs and caterpillars are prone to this, behaviour too, although not in my garden) have munched through stems at the base of the plant, causing all the leaves above them to die spectacularly – deal with the pest first (organically if possible) then prune the plant back to preserve it for next year
• Careless hoeing or weeding around the base of the stem can either cut stems or just damage them enough to cause wilting.

In her case it was simple - dry roots on a plant that likes cool damp conditions for its lower levels!

Labels: august garden tasks, clematis, clematis wilt, pruning clematis

The All Seasons Gardener at 12:55 AM

---