In early May my Niobe clematis went very ill. When I tried to dig it up
to move it, I could find no root at all. Ah well, I thought, wait for
next year. Imaging my surprise when I found new shoots, now about two
feet high, working their way through the rosemary, and the nearby
trellis. No sign of disease at all.

A mystery.


On Wed, 30 Apr 2003 9:49:06 +0100, Lazarus Cooke wrote
(in message ) :

My Niobe clematis, planted under a rosemary bush to give shade to the
roots, a couple of years old, has collapsed already. It is a couple of
years old, and for the last two years has at least produced a few
beautiful flowers before giving up the ghost.

I didn't know about planting an inch or so down when I planted it. Is
it too late to move it? Anything I can do to revive it? It's lovely
enough to put some work into keeping it.

On Fri, 2 May 2003, Lazarus Cooke wrote:

thanks Jane. I got the message, tried digging it up, but there seemed
to be no root there at all. The stem snapped off just below the ground,
and I couldn't find anything much underneath it all. I think it's time
to buy a new plant!

Don't rush. You must understand why there was no root, or the new
plant may have the same fate. Vine Weevil? Where there any white
grubs in the soil?

Kostas

--
Remover the rock from the email address

This is very common with Clematis
Niobe has a very fragile stem system too
Mine does the same thing

"Lazarus Cooke" wrote in message
om...
In early May my Niobe clematis went very ill. When I tried to dig it up
to move it, I could find no root at all. Ah well, I thought, wait for
next year. Imaging my surprise when I found new shoots, now about two
feet high, working their way through the rosemary, and the nearby
trellis. No sign of disease at all.

A mystery.


On Wed, 30 Apr 2003 9:49:06 +0100, Lazarus Cooke wrote
(in message ) :

My Niobe clematis, planted under a rosemary bush to give shade to the
roots, a couple of years old, has collapsed already. It is a couple of
years old, and for the last two years has at least produced a few
beautiful flowers before giving up the ghost.

I didn't know about planting an inch or so down when I planted it. Is
it too late to move it? Anything I can do to revive it? It's lovely
enough to put some work into keeping it.

On Fri, 2 May 2003, Lazarus Cooke wrote:

thanks Jane. I got the message, tried digging it up, but there seemed
to be no root there at all. The stem snapped off just below the
ground,
and I couldn't find anything much underneath it all. I think it's time
to buy a new plant!

Don't rush. You must understand why there was no root, or the new
plant may have the same fate. Vine Weevil? Where there any white
grubs in the soil?

Kostas

--
Remover the rock from the email address

Thanks Nick and bnd. I may be weird, but am not alone. Now that I have
a stem, I may try to find the root, dig it up and move it. I assume
that it's not going to flower again this year, and I'd rather have it
in a healthier spot. It's not doing well where it is.

L

--
Remover the rock from the email address

(Nick Maclaren) wrote in message ...
In article ,
bnd777 wrote:
This is very common with Clematis
Niobe has a very fragile stem system too
Mine does the same thing

Not just clematis. A good many woody plants will behave herbaceously,
and often regrow from very deep roots, if their tops are killed.
Other examples are Passiflora caerulea, P. incarnata (but not usually
in the UK), Zauschneria californica, several roses used as rootstocks
(which is a REAL pain) and so on.

A few clematis (notably alpina) can be cut right down to the ground,
as a form of routine pruning, and will be perfectly happy.


After severe slug damage as a young plant my President clematis
vanished for eighteen months. I was astonished when it reappeared
among the sweet peas and rapidly took over the trellis.

In article ,
bnd777 wrote:
This is very common with Clematis
Niobe has a very fragile stem system too
Mine does the same thing

Not just clematis. A good many woody plants will behave herbaceously,
and often regrow from very deep roots, if their tops are killed.
Other examples are Passiflora caerulea, P. incarnata (but not usually
in the UK), Zauschneria californica, several roses used as rootstocks
(which is a REAL pain) and so on.

A few clematis (notably alpina) can be cut right down to the ground,
as a form of routine pruning, and will be perfectly happy.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
bnd777 wrote:
This is very common with Clematis
Niobe has a very fragile stem system too
Mine does the same thing

Not just clematis. A good many woody plants will behave herbaceously,
and often regrow from very deep roots, if their tops are killed.
Other examples are Passiflora caerulea, P. incarnata (but not usually
in the UK), Zauschneria californica, several roses used as rootstocks
(which is a REAL pain) and so on.

A few clematis (notably alpina) can be cut right down to the ground,
as a form of routine pruning, and will be perfectly happy.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.