Sad looking Clematis

Latimer

I picked up two of these Clematis from Aldi 10 days ago (impulse buy!) and planted one of them at the front of the house by one of these vertical supports.

Where I planted it, the previous owners had put down black porous matting covered in stone. I cleared an area of stones, cut back the matting, dug a hole, mixed the earth i took out with MPC and planted the Clematis, then put back the matting and stones. I gave it a good soaking at the time of planting and once more during the week. 

Today i took a look to see how it was doing and it's looking very very sad:





The site gets sun from about 3pm onwards. The ground is quite wet.

With it being so covered, do you think it's been over watered and is drowning? If it is, what can i do?

Also, i fear i keep creating new threads every time i have a problem, which, as I'm a new gardener getting outside daily, is happening often! 

Perki

Hi, sounds like you've done everything OK. It's common to plant clematis about 10cm deeper than it's in the pot to protect against clematis wilt, no need to worry and dig it up its very unlikely it will get it just a hint if you buy anymore. I'd lay off watering for a bit, stick your finger in the soil to judge how wet/dry the soil is

Perki

And don't worry about making new threads, it's better and easier to answer one thing at a time 

Fairygirl

I'd have potted those on to give them a few months more growth, before planting in the ground. They are very immature looking plants. 
Not all clematis should be planted deeper, and very few are prone to wilt. 

What varieties are they? That also determines how much watering they need.
How are you growing them? They look as if they're next to a lawn. What are they going to grow up?

Latimer

Perki said:

Hi, sounds like you've done everything OK. It's common to plant clematis about 10cm deeper than it's in the pot to protect against clematis wilt, no need to worry and dig it up its very unlikely it will get it just a hint if you buy anymore. I'd lay off watering for a bit, stick your finger in the soil to judge how wet/dry the soil is

Thanks Perki. I did stick my finger on the soil which was very wet, bordering on squelchy. That's what made me think i may have overdone the water!

Fairygirl said:

I'd have potted those on to give them a few months more growth, before planting in the ground. They are very immature looking plants. 
Not all clematis should be planted deeper, and very few are prone to wilt. 

What varieties are they? That also determines how much watering they need.
How are you growing them? They look as if they're next to a lawn. What are they going to grow up?

Thanks Fairygirl. They are both Comtesse de Bouchaud and yes, they are planted next to a lawn, to be trained up the pergola at the front of the house. I'll post a pic of a wider shot tomorrow

Latimer

@Fairygirl perhaps it's worth me digging it up again and potting them both on? Would they go in a slightly larger pot with a couple of sticks for them to climb up?

Latimer

Good morning @Fairygirl!



You can see where it's been planted where the stones have been pulled back.

Johnnyp

Purchased an ALdi Montana roubens clematis  last week and the same has happened to mine . Should have known better and not planted it out for a few weeks as they are quite soft and maybe need a bit of hardening off and   it's still quite cold up here near Inverness but it's all a learning curve .

Latimer

Johnnyp said:

Purchased an ALdi Montana roubens clematis  last week and the same has happened to mine . Should have known better and not planted it out for a few weeks as they are quite soft and maybe need a bit of hardening off and   it's still quite cold up here near Inverness but it's all a learning curve .

I bought 2 of them and the other one is still in its pot and looks pretty good. I am tempted to repot this one and try and squeeze it into the cold frame

Fairygirl

No - don't put it in a cold frame. Not necessary . 
I'd pot it on, but keep it somewhere sheltered for now, and let it grow a bit. You can prune it back a bit too if you want, which will help initially
These plants in supermarkets aren't mature. When you buy from a recognised supplier, the plants are at least a couple of years old, and garden ready. 
Also - when you plant against a post , fence, wall etc, don't plant so close. About a foot away at least, and use a cane or similar to guide the stems initially towards the support. You'll need wires or mesh anyway on the post for it to attach to and grow in the right direction.

@Johnnyp - again, the problem is that the plants are grown undercover, and are babies.
They're completely hardy, but not when taken from a supermarket and put out into the big wide world at this time of year. 

Latimer

Cheers @Fairygirl! Will get digging this afternoon. How far can I/should I prune it back?