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Annuals/clamatis

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Expert: - 8/16/2006


Question
I have a clamatis that I planted 3 years ago, it has bloomed heavily the past two years, but even before it is done blooming the foliage dries up and dies.  By the 1st week in July it's just a large dead looking vine.  Is that normal? I've seen other clamatis with green leaves in late summer.  HELP

Answer
First week in July?  Feels like MONTHS ago, Bob!

Several possibilities come to mind.

One is spider mites. Clematis is susceptible to spider mites.  Hold piece of paper under the Clematis leaves that look tarnished, and shake the leaves a little. If specks fall on the paper, and they move, you have a spider mite infestation.  A few days of hard spraying with the garden hose may control spider mites.

Another possibility: Heat stress.  First week in July around here was the kind of weather you could cook dinner in and never go inside.  

Try moving your plant before the first frost, after the leaves drop, to an exposure with less intense heat, perhaps facing East.  Water when needed and mulch to retain moisture.   

You didn't mention any yellowing leaves, Bob.  That would be a symptom of bad drainage or poor soil. It could also be excess iron. When chlorosis appears on older foliage, and the new growth appears normal, the diagnosis is usually a Manganese deficiency. Iron deficiency shows the same symptoms, but on the new growth only.  Yellow leaves.  Yours are brown.  

Correct?  

Then it's probably overheat.  I know the feeling, and too well.

Annuals

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Long Island Gardener

Expertise

Decisions, decisions... If you can't make up your mind which Annuals to grow, you're not alone. Problem with your new flowering Annuals flats? I`ve been there, done that. Petunias, Sweet Alyssum, Larkspur, Marine Blue Lobelia -- they all grow here at my house on Garden Street on Long Island, N.Y.. Cutting and Cottage Gardens, Sun and Shade Gardens, White Gardens and Night Gardens, I`ve done them all. Annuals are the perfect summer flower, bursting with color June through fall's first frost. I can`t speak on Cactus or tender Tropical Plants -- they don`t grow outside in my Zone 7. I`m no Farmer, so I cannot guide you on Fruits and Vegetables. But whether it`s an Annual you want to start from seed, mail-order or pick up at your local garden center, I can help you grow amazing blooms this Summer. Yes, together, we can turn your neighbors green with envy.

Experience

I have a lifetime of gardening behind me here on the North Shore of Long Island. While I have degrees in related fields, there's nothing like hands-on work to build real knowledge. I stay on top of current science -- there's a boom in research, and Kingdom Plantae is filled with surprises. By the way, I really do live on Garden Street.

Publications
Gannett newspapers, The New York Times, and hundreds of others - but not on Annuals.

Education/Credentials
B.A., botany; graduate credits in European Intellectual History and Political Science; minor coursework in related fields, docent training at our local botanical gardens (required for volunteers). I'm currently working on an advanced biochemistry degree.

Awards and Honors
I could tell you, but then you'd know who I am.

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