Category: Disease 

Symptoms: Partial or complete collapse of the plant

Parts Affected: Whole or part of the Plant

Cause: Clematis Wilt

Description: Some or all of the plant suddenly wilts over a day or two. There is not obvious sign of the cause such as physical damage to the stem i.e. snail/ slug , wind, other animal damage. If you trace down the stem, you should find a point where the plant above is wilted and below is ok. If you split open that point, the inside of the stem is black. The black node is confirmation of Clematis Wilt. If you do not find black inside one node at point of wilting, it is not Clematis Wilt and more likely to be physical damage. If wilting occurs slowly over more than three days, it is most likely to be a problem with the roots rather than Clematis Wilt.

Remedy: Cut all the affected growth off below the point of wilting and dispose of in the bin. Do not compost it. Keep the plant moist and fed. Most of the time, the plant will recover. Don't dig it out, it may take up to a month to reshoot. A drench with a fungicide will help, or plant a resistant variety if this problem reoccurs with the same plant.  Most clematis that have this problem when young usually grow out of it in later years.   It is more a problem of young plants.