Clematis - Leaf Drop

[mikey]

Help please,

OH has a lovely Clematis 'Lady Londesborough' growing in a 24 inch square pot. Plant is climbing Trellis on South facing house wall, been in this position for two years no problem.

At the moment is flowering like mad, beautiful blooms but no leaves  ???
A few leaves appear at each flower bud location then as flower opens leaves fall. No signs of disease, mould, Ants, or other beasties.  :(

Is the plant beyond saving ... any ideas / suggestions 

[mikey]

[Palustris]

There are no specific Clematis diseases etc which cause leaf fall like this so you have to look for other casues. The most likely is dryness at the root and/or too much heat at the roots. They do like a cool root run.The other thing to consider is hunger, they are actually rather greedy plants.
I will have a think and see i f anything else comes to mind, but in the meantime give it a real good soaking, feed it with a high nitrogen fertiliser and shade the roots. Also mist over the plant with warmed water (not freezing cold from the tap stuff). Hopefully this will bring back some leaves.

[mikey]

Palustris,

your suggestions ....

have just given 2 galls of water with 1 teaspoon of Phostrogen (14% Nitrogen), quite a few air bubbles came up from the compost so possibly dry as you suggest.

Did not mist with warm water, not yet anyway, it is pouring with rain at the moment  ;D

thanks, Mikey

[Twospot Ladybird]

I have a Clematis Montana, growing in the same size pot, over a garden arch. During the last two hot dry summers, it suffered leaf drop. Plenty water soon solved this. It didn't suffer during the recent hot, dry spell because I checked it daily and watered if the compost was dry beyond the first inch down.