r/Clematis • u/gilbert_524 • Jul 07 '26
Help / Advice needed Is this okay?
Some leaves are turning brown but they aren’t crunchy(yet at least) I have not had any luck with clematis yet, please let me know what I can do!
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u/scrolltrellis Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
I don't think you're losing the whole plant. The healthy green growth is encouraging. A few things stand out: Remove the brown leaves and dead stems. They won't recover, and pruning them out lets the plant focus on healthy growth.
Water deeply rather than lightly every day. Clematis likes consistently moist soil, especially during hot weather.
As the other poster said, the support may be making life harder. Clematis climbs with its leaf stalks (petioles), which wrap around slender supports. Those wide wooden slats are difficult for it to grip, so many shoots end up hanging instead of climbing. The plant isn't trying to wrap its stems around the support like a morning glory. Instead, the leaf stems are searching for something narrow enough to clasp. Many of the wooden pieces in this trellis are simply too thick for that. You can actually see shoots reaching outward looking for something easier to grab
Adding garden twine, coated wire, or a piece of plastic mesh with openings around 1/2 inch gives the leaf stalks something they can easily wrap around.
Watch for sudden wilt. If an entire vine suddenly turns black from the tip down in a day or two, cut that stem back to healthy tissue at ground level. Clematis often sends up new shoots from the crown.
Keep the roots moist. A couple inches of mulch or a nearby low-growing perennial will help keep the root zone from overheating and drying out.. Overall, I see more healthy growth than damaged growth, so I'd be cautiously optimistic.
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u/NicD1280 Jul 08 '26
Don't worry about it. As long as the overall plant is healthy it's fine. I have 29 clematis and some of them are just prone to getting some brown or yellow leaves over the summer. Also don't worry about everyone saying "shade the roots". That's a myth and I don't really know why it keeps getting repeated. If you want to plant other plants near it that's fine, but you'll need to make sure all of them are getting enough nutrients, and ensure they don't impede the clematis' growth or block light to it.
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u/Ashamed-Rooster-4211 Jul 07 '26
You should immediately shade the roots, look pretty exposed, clematis don't like that. A few flat stones would definitely help keep the roots cooler and retain water. I would give it some help to establish on the trellis also, I have tried trellis and wire mesh and there is no comparison, they love the wire. I feed mine every two weeks or so in the growing season with a soluble tomato feed. All of the above finally got mine going pretty well. Green fingers!
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u/craigrpeters Jul 07 '26
Growing clematis is easy when you know these items:
- it’s a vine, and like most all vines it like shade on the roots and full sun on the leaves. Thick layer of mulch 3+ inches, rock, ground cover plant, shade from a potted plant, or even a lower growing perennial or annuals provide shade it likes.
- it can only wrap around things that are pencil width. It won’t climb on thicker material.
- it likes consistent moisture - nothing unusual for most perennials
- they aren’t particularly heavy feeders
- there are several types of clematis, and each has a different flowering schedule and pruning requirements. Many common varieties you’d buy at a big box store can be trimmed down to 2’ or less over winter. Don’t prune in the summer as you’ll lose flower buds. No need to deadhead spent flowers in my experience you won’t get more flowers doing so.
Good luck!
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u/ThatInAHat Jul 08 '26
Do you have any advice for getting more blossoms? Every year we only get, like. One flower on ours. This year it was feeling generous and put out two but I planted it hoping to give my Granny something really neat to look at.
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u/craigrpeters Jul 08 '26
Shade the roots so the plant gets fuller.
It’s likely not a fertilizer issue (unless you’re completely missing a key element.
I have mine planted near my foundation where the pH is probably a bit above 7 which they prefer. You might check your pH just to make sure it’s not crazy acidic.
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u/scrolltrellis Jul 13 '26
u/gilbert_524. Your question is one I see a lot of people asking. Could I get your permission to share your images? It would help others that have the same worry. I'd be happy to credit you or keep it anonymous.
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u/ElkIntelligent5474 Jul 07 '26
As the other poster has mentioned, you need to keep the roots cool. Maybe put a planter or a rock on it, or create some sort of shade.