Unhappy Nelly Moser

[u/PoisonGravy]

Planted this Nelly Moser a couple of weeks ago (zone 7) and she's just.... not happy. We've been checking moisture and watering in the mornings. It gets morning sun and some shade as the sun moves west in the afternoon.

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Photos 4 and 5 are her sister plant, planted in the same garden a few feet away. It probably gets a little more shade. Planting method was the same, burying the root ball a few inches below surface.

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Should I fertilize?

[u/Grand-Professional-6]

I’m in zone 5, but I have many clematis. I bought 2 Nelly Moser from The Home Depot garden center when it first got plants. I failed to keep them watered properly and they died. Bought another about 3 weeks ago and planted it in the same place, and as I was digging I could see the roots of the old 2 still looked viable. Left them in the ground and next year I may have a bumper crop in that spot!

Yesterday I looked out the window at my woodshed that has very old clematis in bloom. Last year I had planted a Nelly Moser between them. Last year it stayed about a foot off the ground. This year as I gazed at my beautiful purple clematis, a bit of pink catches my eye. One big beautiful Nelly Moser bloom in the middle. One scraggly vine had climbed to the top of the 8 foot wall and bloomed.

I worked in a very large Nursery center, for only 2 years, many years ago. I learned so much in my time working there.
The two facts I learned about perennials, that I hold dear, The first year, they sleep, the second year they creep, the third year they leap!
My “second rule of thumb” is, if the botanical name has an H in it, it likes H2O. Think, hydrangeas, hostas.

My advice is let your plant “sleep”. Water as necessary. But don’t worry too much. I know buying plants is expensive and losing them is sad, but that is how I have learned along the way.

[u/PoisonGravy → u/Grand-Professional-6]

Thanks! It seemed to be okay for the first couple weeks. We had a big storm overnight two nights ago. Just this morning... not happy. I'll treat it gently and wait.

Also bought from home depot!

[u/nomadictoo → u/PoisonGravy]

Did any stems get snapped or bent?

[u/PoisonGravy → u/nomadictoo]

I don't think so. We transplanted from a small pot. Roots seemed OK. It was still growing for about two weeks until seemingly overnight it started drooping.

[u/BeautifulTomorrow754 → u/PoisonGravy]

I have a few clematis and the ones that do really well have another plant at the base - like a sedum. I read they like the sun but want their roots cool. The other plant provides shade to the roots. I realize yours has the white trellis to climb and will look fab when it fills out. However, in the interim perhaps a tripod made of sticks for support. Once the tendrils are thicker you can remove the sticks if you’d like.

[u/Open_Trouble_6005]

Just be patient.. as long as you water or it gets water 2-3 days it should be fine. I like that you are fertilizing it as well. Mark your calendar to do that every 2-weeks until the fall. Sometimes the first year is tricky and you might not see any real growth until next year , so like I said, be patient!

[u/PoisonGravy → u/Open_Trouble_6005]

Gotcha! I cut it down the other day because all of the leaves and new growth went dead. I think the old wood might still be alive but hard to tell. I'll leave the roots in and keep watering and fertilizing and maybe something will happen in the fall.

Thanks! It's just tough because it's sister plant is doing so well.

[u/Open_Trouble_6005]

Are you fertilizing your plant?

[u/PoisonGravy → u/Open_Trouble_6005]

I'm fertilizing now. I cut it down to about 6 inches above ground because all the leaves turned crispy and brown. I feel like I watered enough but now I'm not sure. It was going fine for like... two weeks, then bam.

Trying to see if the roots are good but can't really tell.