On 04/03/2013 08:03, octatonic wrote:
'David Hare-Scott[_2_ Wrote:
;978997']

I have never seen privet look so sick, it is pretty hard to kill. What
has
changed in the period the problem has happened? Was it especially wet
(or
dry)? Did you start (or stop) watering? Did you fertilise or alter the

beds in any way? What is the white rock? Was something built,
repaired,
spilt or demolished nearby? Did you spray with anything?

David

Hi David,

It has been particularly cold this winter.
I did water it a bit over the winter but I figured it would need less as
it was raining.
I didn't spray it with anything nor fertilise it.
Before the winter it was growing really well- then in the last few
months it has dropped its leaves.

The white rock is just a decorative rock that we got at a garden
centre.
I can't remember what it is called.
Could that be the problem then?

Should I be fertilising it?

Don't worry about the chippings. They won't do any damage. If the
clematis isn't supposed to be an evergreen one (and it doesn't look like
it) it is perfectly normal for it to look like that at the end of
winter. But you should soon be seeing the buds break and new green
growth appearing. Depending on what type of clematis it is, it might
need to be pruned around now. If you still have the label on it that
should tell you.

The privet looks bad.. But if there are new shoots appearing, it might
recover - they are very tough plants. It is just possible that with all
the rain we had last autumn the privet started to drown. If you are on
clay soil, and when you planted the privet you "improved" things by
putting it in decent soil/compost, you may have created a sump effect.
Basically, clay is pretty impervious to water, and if you dig a hole in
it, and it rains a lot, that hole will just fill with water and it won't
drain away. The problem will occur even if you fill the hole with
compost or sand - the water simply cannot get through the clay walls of
the hole.

Whatever, you have nothing to lose by waiting and seeing if the plants
grow back. If they are dead, then replace them, but bear in mind my
comments about a sump. Privet will happily grow in clay soil, so just
dig a hole, put the privet in, and put back the soil you dug out.

--

Jeff