Clematis wilt

brightgreen

I have a clematis viticella which was delivered by my local garden centre and I planted it a fortnight ago. It looked very healthy and I planted it with great care, following all the planting advice. After about 10 days I noticed it wilting dramatically at the top and developing  brown leaves at the base. I cut back the affected stems to ground level (which was about two thirds of the plant)
I am left with a single branched stem about 40 cm high which is healthy and growing well. Should I think about pinching out these stems so the plant will branch or just leave it this year and do it next year after I prune? I am a total newbie to growing clematis! Thanks

Palustris

Rest assured it was not wilt. More likely it was damaged by a snail (they love new Clematis stems). Wilt starts at the bottom of the plant and works up.

I would tend to leave the single shoot and let it grow on so that at least the plant can photosynthesise this year. Keep it well watered and protect the base from attack.

Fairygirl

I would agree totally with @Palustris
Watering is key, especially if you're in a dry area, and the ground it's planted in is free draining. A sunnier/windier site will also mean it dries out more quickly. 

mikeymustard

Fairygirl said:

I would agree totally with @Palustris
Watering is key, especially if you're in a dry area....

which must be pretty much everywhere this year 
If your ground is anything like ours, there's absolutely no reserve moisture in the top foot or so and we're on clay!
The extreme dry-hot-cold weather we've had the last few weeks has taken its toll on lotsa newly growing plants - even well established ones!
Once it seems to have stabilised (give it a few weeks) then you could pinch the tip to persuade it to branch. Viticellas are fast-growing once they establish; is it the species or a variety?

Fairygirl

"which must be pretty much everywhere this year   "

Not here @mikeymustard 

mikeymustard

Lol it's a different world up there in Sturgeonland! Not like down here in the soft south(west)
My sister's in Norn Iron and their weather seems to be backwards to ours!

brightgreen

Yes it's dry but good loamy soil. Trying not to over water 😂 I am so paranoid!! 
It's a viticella madame julia Corevon. No idea if that is a species or a variety??? 
Thanks for the advice!! 

mikeymustard

Variety. We planted a mme Correvon in my mum's garden last year, and it's coping ok with the Sahara-like conditions it's had to endure this year (mum mostly housebound, the lockdown, no rain, squirrels chewing the net off the fence - or so mum says, she wouldn't know a wildlife from an only slightly grumpylife - etc.)

Edit: I dont think you could over water it at the moment!

Fairygirl

I'd agree - plenty of water - not a dribble every day -  a proper watering. Canful every couple of days.
The biggest mistake people make is not watering correctly 
Once established - they can cope better. 

Madame Julia C is the variety @brightgreen . viticella is simply the 'type' of clematis,and indicates it's general care and flowering time etc. 

I think I can safely say we have more than drizzle here today @mikeymustard
It's really not unusual here though, but May is normally a good month after what we would normally have in March and April. Been a bit back to front here too 

mikeymustard

Sorry @Fairygirl you know how south-centric everything is! I noticed the weatherman on radio 4 yesterday kept saying "we will have" for every region, like they've been told to pretend they're all over the place to include the "outliers" (everywhere outside london)

Fairygirl

The old 'north of the Watford gap' scenario @mikeymustard . We're used to it....

Further north [beyond the central belt]  there's flooding and gale force winds, but they like to gloss over that too