Clematis died

[sleepwouldbenice]

Hello all!
Last year I thought I had had some success. In about May/ June I bought 2 clematis. I had two tubs hooked on my fence, one in each. They were well watered and happily grew from there along a wire trellis towards each other. They both flowered well and even looked good in November/ December although of course no new growth at that stage
Labels advised cutting them back on spring
By February they were both dead..
Any suggestions what might have gone wrong so I don't repeat the error please?
They were supposed to be frost tolerant....

Thanks!!

Clematis are complete cockwombles. They die for no reason at all.
How about a nice climbing/rambling rose or a honeysuckle instead.

Love your comment!

No advice but this made me laugh 😆

It's true!
feed it - dead
don't feed it - dead
water it - dead
don't water it -dead
cockwomble.

May I suggest neglect. Mine is growing splendidly apparently… not that I’d even noticed until it was pointed out to me. I thought it died last year.

ive bought two this year . 1 from a very expensive garden centre and 1 from a little nursery .. Both died aa soon as they went in the ground. it must be the soil

It might be playing dead. I thought both mine had died. One didn’t produce anything green last year. This spring both plants have sent new shoot’s up from the ground. What a cockwomble.

My mum had a beautiful clematis which grew right across her back fence. My dad cut it all down we don't talk about it, onset of early dementia we found out later. My dad loved it and asked me why I cut it down 🤔 anyway that's another story.....

I bought a little clematis when I moved into my first house. Absolutely nothing grew apart from one little piffling bud. I tried so many times and have wasted so much money. But no, I've never been successful in growing clematis.

I hate the way clematis just give up the ghost with no warning. Don't take it personally. I had a beautiful white Montana growing up the house, absolutely stunning and then suddenly poof - it was no more.

They can die very suddenly, yes.

But you said in tubs hooked on your fence. Do you mean trained up the fence, or was the pot hooked on? As they have MASSIVE root runs so a small pot hooked on the fence would finish them off, for sure.

I had more success when I read they like their roots to be very dark so I started putting house bricks on top. They exploded after many years of failure

Mine died last year. Totally. Except that this year, after NO life since last March, it came back to life again. We did somehow kill the neighbour’s glorious one stone dead tho - and it was a Montana which is generally bullet proof!

I’ve spent last 2 days cutting back huge 25 y old clematis that was massively overgrown. Hope I haven’t gone too far!

they can get something called Clematis wilt though OP, sudden death. Sounds like you had it in a too small container and over winter it dried out ( who waters pots in winter). Try again in ground

Mine live under shrubs and climb through them. It gives them shade and saves tying them in. You need to aim the roots away from the shrub so that they get enough water. I plant them so that they flower at a different time to the shrub.

Also, always plant them deeper, maybe 4 inches lower that they would be in the pot.

I have 4 clematis plants. The 25 y/o pink Montana runs along the front of my house. It is cut back after flowering as next year's flowers will be on the new growth. There's a deeper pink one with huge flowers that I don't prune at all, but it flowers magnificently and my friend even got a 'plantlet' after a runner started rooting when it touched soil.

Two purple ones are in half barrels next to a trellis. I didn't know anything about liking their roots to be dark, or having deep roots, so it seems a happy coincidence that the ones in the ground and in tubs have conditions they like. I'm reluctant to prune as when I've thought I was pruning dried up 'dead' branches, they invariably revealed to be green inside.

I fertilise the ground ones with farmyard manure and tub ones with gro-more and water regularly. Try again OP 🙏.
My bete noire are orchids. I've just root trimmed and repotted my six in the hope they will be revitalised and start blooming instead of turning yellow.

Ours (Montana) bloomed beautifully for 4 years then seemed to die for 1 year. Came back to life but no flowers. They this year blooming again!! I’m over the moon

Thank you all
I will ponder....
I have tried planting them in the ground by the fence before. Ironically I was told they died as their roots were too in the shade ( compared to advice here about needing the dark)
I am not sure about the watering. I know they were definitely watered up to late November ish as that's why I was so pleased they were still alive then. I dint recall a dry January/ February....

Will ponder risking again....

Roses grow on you
www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/collections/climbing-and-rambling-roses

I have had a few die. One that just won’t blooming die, doesn’t ever flower just green. My Montana I planted a few years ago that was doing so well. Half of that has died I think. I won’t buy anymore. They just don’t try hard enough in my opinion.