Death of a clematis

My clematis (not sure what exact variety) was doing very well for the first time, having been planted 2 years ago. Thought I finally had a good one going. Now it's dried up completely and dead. What could possibly have happened? It had shaded roots and room to climb on a trellis. Please help.

Sometimes mine go dead and dry - I cut to the ground and the next year there are sprouts and all is well.

Probably clematis wilt--it's a common problem. Here's some info for you http://gardening.about.com/od/perennials/f/Clematis_Wilt.htm

Well, wilt or not -- cut it back and hope for the best. As I said, it works for me!

Some clematis are biennial, meaning they don't bloom every year . Its possible that is your species, and if it has bloomed already it would be safe to say you can cut it back and it should return the following year.

Clematis (if healthy and pruned properly) should bloom every year--if yours aren't then either you're pruning at the wrong time or there's some other problem going on. There are different types of clematis--some bloom on old wood and some bloom on new, and particularly with the ones that bloom on old wood if you prune them at the wrong time you could lose blooms for a year. http://gardening.about.com/od/perennials/a/PruningClematis.htm

Thank you to all who posted. Will try cutting it back. What can I lose??!!

One of mine got Clematis wilt last year. I cut them back and this year they bloomed beautifully.

Same here.....mine will come back the next year. I'm glad I didn't dig mine up or plant something on top of it.
Linda

When your Clematis shows early signs of clematis wilt, all you have to do is cut it back to the ground and it will be fine? What about the wound from the cutting? Does the virus get in through that and damage your plant all over again? Does the plant develop resistance if you do this? Are there other things that are necessary when treating for clematis wilt?

The fungus doesn't affect the roots. Just the leaves and stems.

Oh really? Thanks a lot kwanjin. But then, why would you have to throw away a severely effected clematis? I read that it can effect the roots??? It makes sense now, why they highly suggest that you bury the crown 3-5 inches below the surface.

I suppose if you let it go, it would affect the roots but everything I read said it didn't. Who knows?

Ok. Here's another one. How often do mice attack Clematis?

You sure it's not voles?

One or the other. Voles just have a shorter tail than mice. I have read that mice love to munch on them so I was wondering if it is a constant attack or just in spring and fall?