There is no reason to be concerned unless you see it turning black and brown all the way up...some varieties are known to get brown leaves on the bottom and something we have to live with...some people do "underplanting" of something else in front for two reasons ...One to hide that ugly brown bottom and to keep the roots cool..I think your heat wave had an affect on it..just make sure and keep it moist during dry times...can't wait to see a pic of it in full bloom...goodluck...Jeanne

Hang in there. Niobe is well worthing waiting for. Mine is now in its fourth year and it was finicky at first. It has had wilt two years in a row and I just about gave up on it. Last year it was sensational and this year it is growing like a weed with many buds. It is always a good idea to plant something in front to keep the roots cool, and lots of water. My Niobe never gets brown leaves on the bottom and it is in full sun all day and our days have been hot lately up here in southern Ontario. Good luck.

Thanks for the encouragement. I am still worried about it.
Even more leaves have turned brown and have dried up at the bottom. The top part is still green but is increasingly droopy and no new growth. The last few days have been blazing hot and humid. I have watered it well, added extra mulch and put rocks around the bottom hoping to save it. I really hope this works. It was doing so well and I would hate to lose it.

Mine has a few brown leaves probably due to freak weather like yours (not very clearly shown in this pic so maybe they became worse since the pic) but it is blooming nicely at the same time so I think it will be ok.

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I have lattice panels on each side of my small porch. The one on the north has succumbed to black leaves, but the one on the south is thriving. Here is a closeup of it.
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esthomizzy, what size container is your Niobe planted in? I have The President clematis, very small, maybe 6 inches and need to plant it into a container but really do not have the room for an 18 inch container. I'm wondering if I could plant it in a smaller container, at least for this year, something like 12".

Linda

It does sound like your clem is getting wilt. I have had at least three of mine get wilt in the past few years and the symptoms sure do sound familiar. Nothing will make it get better. I would cut it down to ground level and hope for better things next year. That's the life of a gardener.

I have a Niobe I just bought this year; had 3 blooms when I bought it, but those soon went. And the leaves at the bottom were/are dried up and brown now. Same kind of weather as you.
Not seeing much growth, either. However, 2 days ago it threw out a new bloom.
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Looks a bit wilty, eh? We've had about 5 near-90 days in a row, so I am watering and keeping my fingers crossed.

Maybe my small experience will encourage you:

I grew four clematis in 6" pots last summer, planted them in the garden in the pots at the end of the season, thinking that they would ddevelop roots better outside.

I transplanted them to their final garden locations, two in March after they began to green up, the other two in early May after the vines had grown too far. My Niobe was the one that died back to the point I was afraid it had died. Patience...

After about three weeks of hoping Niobe would grow again, it put out two new shoots that are about six inches long now. The other three are climbing and have all bloomed nicely, except that Ville de Lyon was probably mislabeled at the nursery. Elsa Spath lost one vine to the wind, but we get rather heavy gusts in the Spring.

You can transplant to a larger pot later, and the 12" pot will get you through next year. Be prepared to find a good home outside by the third year.

There are excellent growing guides, FAQs, and more at HelpMeFind.

Best wishes

Here is a link that might be useful: HelpMeFindClematis

I think that pot is 12" it's it's first year but I haven't got it's final home sorted out yet so I thought I would repot it at the end of the season. In my front garden I am involved in some unorthodox clematis experiments in way too small pots because that is all that will fit in the space I have and still leave room for my bike to be accessible. I've got Mrs Cholmondley, Sweet Autum, Winter Beauty and Alpina Burford White in this manner they are all in smaller pots than what you are thinking of using. I know they will mess up long term like this but I figure that when they start looking ropey I'll buy new babies again and maybe even treat them as annuals. I'll report on here how long it takes for them to not like their root space, they've been like that since January and they haven't minded so far.

Are they blooming well? The Sweet Autumn must be huge. I know my Blue Bird is growing up the side of my house on my porch deck, all leaves now, it's already bloomed for this season. It's still in the pot I purchased it in, which isn't very big either. I'm in very much the same bind as you, lack of space. Oh well, we shall see!

The only one which has bloomed so far is a spring bloomer the burford white. It has put on loads of growth this year. The sweet autumn has reached about 5ft so far as have burford white and winter beauty. Mrs Cholmondley suffered from wilt so I had to chop her back but she's growing strongly again now and has reached the trellis from the top of the cane. I'm interested to know whether it will work out myself but I figure if I don't try I'll never know.

Kemarus if your Niobe looks as if it is gone don't remove it. Wait & water but don't over water. In the fall Niobe will come back to life & might even give you some blooms. I have been through this a couple times with one of my Niobe's. The Clematis might not look good now but it will be back. Also next spring it will look great again. I think Niobe has problems establishing but don't remove it, just wait & see.

Well, it looks like I have lost it for this year. The whole thing is brown and dried now. Should I just cut it back to the ground and hope for the best next year? Maybe if I cut it back to the ground it will show some new growth by fall?
Sadly, my yard has been neglected lately. My father in law as just released from the hospital after a month long stay and now my mother in law was rushed there the other day and is still there. I was out in the yard briefly last night...trying to get myself calmed down as my yard is my sanctuary, it brings peace. As I was looking around I saw how much everything has grown....including weeds. Looks like I have my work cut out for me. My clematis is my only loss.

Don't give up hope!! I googled clematis wilt and found some information, i tried to find it again and i can't :o( , but they said that niobe is one of the most susceptible for clematis wilt. (of course i bought two of them before i found this out and i myself have been battling it all summer. it breaks my heart, but i'm not giving up yet!

The American Clematis Society says: Clematis are susceptible to many fungi that can cause them to 'wilt' or turn black and these fungi enter the plant via the stem and work their way up. Although this is a very disappointing malady it is usually not fatal if you planted correctly. Carefully cut off all of the diseased parts of the vine and then disinfect your clippers with Physan 20. Then dispose of all these diseased parts in a sealed plastic bag.

so good luck and don't despair!

I bought 4 Niobe last year and they all got the wilt, so like everyone says, I cut them back and they grew back and 2 of the plants grew a couple of flowers. This year is a different story, They are beautiful and all 4 are bursting with blooms. Take a look..

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No wilt in sight on my 2nd year Niobe, that I planted late last summer. This one is going like gangbusters. It has been in full bloom for several weeks now. Thats an Ernest Markham growing next to it. It is just starting to put out buds now. Hopefully in a few weeks it will give a good show. I just hope it blooms as profusely as my Niobe has.

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