Save my Clematis!

gary 803

Posting pics again the one with no leaves on is it dead? at the top it seems to have some little shoots coming off  it? The stem appears quite solid to the touch. I think the snail have been at it again, are the pellets supposed to keep them away and should i put some around the base of the pot as a barrier/defense system! The other bigger plant seems to be doing well and one or two buds are appearing. I've fed them tomato feed and drilled more holes in the bases as they were full of water a few days ago as they were not draining.

Obelixx

You seem to have put your plants at the edge of the pots.  They really need to be in the middle to keep cool and moist.

Don't give up.  Clematis can take a long tme to settle down and will often be busy developing roots below the surface with no apparent activity above.  I have a Star of India that has done just that after being re-potted to the next size up but is now sending up new shoots.  Patience and continued watering are the key - and protection from marauding slugs and snails who think baby clem shoots are caviar.

gary 803

I have started getting flowers on 2 of my 4 Clematis (I've given up at the other 2), but the snails insist on eating the leaves and flowers. How can I stop them? I have put pellets down but to no avail.

Fairygirl

You need to go out at night and pick slugs and snails off and dispatch them - it's the best method.
As Obelixx says - they should be in the middle of the pots - not the edge. You're making it even easier for  molluscs to access them - they have timber at the back of the pots, and a wall, and the foliage is right at the edge, so it's easy for them to get in. 

What sort of medium are you growing them in? I find it strange that you needed to make extra holes in the pots for drainage. They need to be well watered, yes - but they shouldn't be waterlogged. Plants need good drainage, and air round the roots as well. You might be overloading that little one with water  [in the second pic ] considering the size of pot it's in.
Patience is necessary though, and some clems are easier than others too. 

Guernsey Donkey2

I can vouch for Fairygirl's remedy of going out at night with a torch, just a couple of minutes collecting the slugs/snails will make a huge difference to the survival chances of your clematis.  Take a torch, an old margarine or yoghurt pot to pop your catches in and soon you will have a healthy clematis again.  Once all these slimy creatures have been collected up (say over a week or so) the plant will start to recover and make new leaves and shoots.  In the meantime try not to water the clematis in the evening as this dampness will encourage every slug in your garden to swoop around the clematis.