CELEBRATING 29 YEARS! Welcome to my weekly series! THE LANDSCAPE ASK PROFESSIONAL Linda K. Lillie of Sprigs & Twigs Linda K. Lillie has been President of Sprigs & Twigs, Inc. for the last 29 years. She is a graduate of Connecticut College in Botany, an accredited NOFA Organic Land Care Professional, a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national award winning landscape designer for her design and installation projects. Q: I have a clematis growing on my lamp post. Every year it looks great and has many flower buds. Then all of a sudden, just when the buds get big, they droop and the vine wilts. It is very disappointing and frustrating. Is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening? Thank you. Jeff A: Hi Jeff, your clematis in the photo looks very happy and healthy. I have three possibilities why some of the flower buds are hanging down: 1. Your plant is going to produce large flowers and large flowers will weigh down the vine and droop. 2. It may be a sign that the vine needs water. The flowers are just forming and need water to produce strong, supple flowers and stems. Watering will help the bud stems to stiffen and hold up the flower. Do not water the leaves and only water in the morning to allow the plant to dry out during the day. Don't over-water. Overwatering can cause Clematis Wilt, a fungal disease that is detrimental to the Clematis. There's no need to supplement with additional water if we get a good soaking of natural rainfall on a regular basis (at least once/week). If you are unsure about whether to water, use your finger to check the soil moisture around the Clematis roots by inserting your finger into the soil. If the soil is moist all the way down to the roots (2"-6" down), then there's no need to water. If the soil is moist only on the surface... you need to water. THESE ARTICLES ARE GOING DIGITAL! DON'T MISS OUT! USE THE QR CODE, OR SUBMIT QUESTIONS TO: Email: info@sprigsandtwigs.net, or Mail: Linda Lillie, Sprigs & Twigs Inc, PO Box 245, Gales Ferry, CT 06335 Sprigs & Twigs 860-235-0752 WWW.SPRIGSANDTWIGS.NET CELEBRATING 29 YEARS ! Welcome to my weekly series ! THE LANDSCAPE ASK PROFESSIONAL Linda K. Lillie of Sprigs & Twigs Linda K. Lillie has been President of Sprigs & Twigs , Inc. for the last 29 years . She is a graduate of Connecticut College in Botany , an accredited NOFA Organic Land Care Professional , a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national award winning landscape designer for her design and installation projects . Q : I have a clematis growing on my lamp post . Every year it looks great and has many flower buds . Then all of a sudden , just when the buds get big , they droop and the vine wilts . It is very disappointing and frustrating . Is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening ? Thank you . Jeff A : Hi Jeff , your clematis in the photo looks very happy and healthy . I have three possibilities why some of the flower buds are hanging down : 1. Your plant is going to produce large flowers and large flowers will weigh down the vine and droop . 2. It may be a sign that the vine needs water . The flowers are just forming and need water to produce strong , supple flowers and stems . Watering will help the bud stems to stiffen and hold up the flower . Do not water the leaves and only water in the morning to allow the plant to dry out during the day . Don't over - water . Overwatering can cause Clematis Wilt , a fungal disease that is detrimental to the Clematis . There's no need to supplement with additional water if we get a good soaking of natural rainfall on a regular basis ( at least once / week ) . If you are unsure about whether to water , use your finger to check the soil moisture around the Clematis roots by inserting your finger into the soil . If the soil is moist all the way down to the roots ( 2 " -6 " down ) , then there's no need to water . If the soil is moist only on the surface ... you need to water . THESE ARTICLES ARE GOING DIGITAL ! DON'T MISS OUT ! USE THE QR CODE , OR SUBMIT QUESTIONS TO : Email : info@sprigsandtwigs.net , or Mail : Linda Lillie , Sprigs & Twigs Inc , PO Box 245 , Gales Ferry , CT 06335 Sprigs & Twigs 860-235-0752 WWW.SPRIGSANDTWIGS.NET