i think I found, or was told, the underlying issue that's causing my clematis plants to turn yellow!! and of course, the simplest reason is always the culprit... due to the layout of our yard, with a large Japanese maple on one side, a huge ponderosa pine on the other, as well as the 6 foot tall cedar fence coming into play, as well as 100 foot fir, hemlock, and spruce conifers in our heavily wooded neighborhood, the lower leaves get very little direct sunlight. which I was aware of. however, I was thinking the upper leaves would sustain the lower ones because they're in full sun, because they're on top of a flat, horizontal trellis that runs the length of the fence... I called our local master gardener, hes been a Seattle celebrity for nearly 40 years, he has a TV show as well as a weekly radio call in show. as soon as I said, "the lower leaves get very little sun." he says, "Oh, that's it!" he didnt even bring up soil issues or lack of nutrient issues. he suggested that if I choose to keep the plants in this location that I allow the hydrangeas to grow a little taller in order to hide the unsightly bare lower stems.
