I bought a clematis plant about a month ago from a local nursery and
planted it where it will get pretty good amounts of sun. The plant was
a bit sickly, but the nurseryman said it would come back, no problem.

The plant now looks awful - most of the leaves have turned brown and
crusty and I don't see any new growth. Should I cut it back to the
ground or wait it out? Should I try another location?

I'm new to clematis, so not sure what the problem is!

Thanks

Georgia

Georgia wrote:

I bought a clematis plant about a month ago from a local nursery and
planted it where it will get pretty good amounts of sun. The plant was
a bit sickly, but the nurseryman said it would come back, no problem.

The plant now looks awful - most of the leaves have turned brown and
crusty and I don't see any new growth. Should I cut it back to the
ground or wait it out? Should I try another location?

I'm new to clematis, so not sure what the problem is!

Thanks

Georgia

Cut it back, keep it well watered and mulch the roots. Sounds like it is
suffering from a combination of transplant shock and drought stress.
Mid-summer is a tough time to attempt to get a young clematis established
(particularly in Georgia) and even more so if the plant is stressed to
begin with. Depending on cultivar, you may also be experiencing a problem
with wilt, however the treatment is exactly the same. It also helps
considerably if you plant the clematis deeply (4-6 inches deeper than it
was in the nursery can) in a well prepared and large planting hole. This
will encourage a healthy root system and multiple growth shoots from the
crown. It will want lots of water through the rest of the summer.

pam - gardengal