When to Prune your Clematis

Clematis fall into 3 categories for pruning, if you are unsure when you should prune your clematis you can follow this simple rule:

Observe the flowering  time on your plant and use the following simple guide;

· Flowering before June, do not prune

· Flowering from late June onwards, prune in late winter (February)

How ever most clematis will come with pruning info when you buy them.

Pruning Group 1

This group comprises of the early-blooming clematis that flower on shoots produced in the previous season. They require no regular  pruning except for the removal of faded flowers and a light prune to contain them in their growing area but only after flowering.  In subsequent years some training and perhaps thinning may be necessary. If renovation is required, plants can be cut back to 15cm (6in) from the base.  This operation will affect flowering and should not be carried out again within three years. 

Pruning Group 2

This group comprises the large-flowered cultivars that flower in May to June on short shoots developing from the previous year’s growth. Some flower again in late summer on new growth. They require only to have the flowers cut off, back to a large growth bud immediately below the flower as soon as flowering is over.  They can, if preferred, be left un pruned other than for the removal of dead shoot ends in spring. 

Pruning Group 3

This group comprises clematis that flower from mid- to late summer on the terminal 60cm (2ft) or so off the current year’s growth. If this type is left un pruned growth will continue from where it ended the previous season, resulting in a tangled mass of growth, flowering often well be above eye level and stems bare at the base.  These late flowering clematis are best pruned back hard in February each year to the lowest pair of buds.