I usually mulch the area around my clematis well (though not right against the stems) to help keep moisture even. A couple of times a week you might stick your finger down as far as possible into the soil in the area you dug out. Sometimes the moisture level in a relatively new hole may be different than what it appears or what the surrounding area is like, either drier or wetter, so checking before watering is helpful. A few questions: Where are you generally? - plants behave differently in different parts of the country What is your soil like - sandy, clay or loamy? and what is on the other side of the fence? - i.e. might your neighbor or a road maintenance crew have been spraying something like weed killer? For what it's worth, IME Jackmanii is a fairly robust clematis and should pull through even though it may not look too ornamental right now. My mom had one that a landscaper planted, in clay soil with no attention whatsoever other than a pruning if I happened to be in town at a good time for that, and it survived and bloomed every year.

I have had that same problem for years.I used to water frequently. the farmer i bought my seedlings said not to water the tomatoes? this year i only waterd one time for four hours with the hose laying on the ground. so far i have not experienced any of the wilting that i used to get near the end of july. i am no means any expert at all. when i read this forum it seems there are many opinions on how and when to water the plants. it is kinda confusing on the watering issue. good luck

Next summer, just be sure to grow them in a shady spot. Hoyas seem to do very well in shade, and there's way less risk of sunburn. I had a few out this summer on a shady shelf that got just a bit of afternoon sun, dappled through other plants, and they exploded with growth! If you just cut off that growth, it will spring forth with new! Denise in Omaha

That this plant naturally occurs in riparian settings isn't proof that it would appreciate the same conditions in a pot. The plant can be grown well under various forms of aqua culture, but for conventional container culture the plant prefers the same cultural conditions that most houseplants prefer, i.e, a moist or damp (never soggy/saturated) soil, bright light, warm temperatures around 5* either side of 75*F, and regular applications of a fertilizer with N as the predominant fraction. Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 will be very hard to better, and it contains ALL nutrients essential to normal growth. One might think that particular attribute might be the rule when it comes to fertilizers, but it is an unusual exception. Most soluble synthetic fertilizers often lack several elements essential to plants. Your plant will bounce back as long as you don't over/under-water it. Keep the soil damp, the plant in a warm spot with bright light but not direct sunlight, and all will be well in a week or two. When you see the plant pushing new growth, it's time to fertilize. A 5:1:1 mix made with appropriate ingredients can be watered to beyond the saturation point every time you water, unless the intervals between waterings are inappropriately short. If you have ANY concerns the soil might remain saturated for unacceptable periods after you water, now is the time to do something about it. Ballast, a wick, or both are great strategies for dealing with excessive water retention. In fact, if you want to, you can use ballast to your (and your plant's) advantage and increase pot size to a pot as large as you like. You have many options, a good thing to have. Al