Hello Fellow Gardeners,

Pruning Clematis can be confusing but I will try to simplify it for you!

For pruning purposes, Clematis are divided into three different groups…

Group one

You can tell if your clematis belongs to group one if they bloom early in the Spring (April and/or May). Clematis from group one are very easy to take care of! No pruning is necessary except for removing dead wood and debris. This category blooms on old wood first thing in the Spring and if any pruning is necessary it should be done “after bloom” just like your other spring blooming plants (such as lilacs). These are hardy plants so you do not have to worry about dieback!

Popular clematis in this group: C. alpina, C. Macropetala, C. armandii, C. Montana and C. chrysocoma

Constance, Alpine (left) Pamela Jackman, Alpine (middle) Helsingborg, Alpine (right)

Group Two

You can tell if your clematis belongs to group two if it blooms in mid season (June and later). They will bloom first on old wood, and then later they will bloom on new growth (new wood). The blooms are double and semi double large hybrid flowers.

It is recommended that moderate pruning be done to maintain this plant. First check to see how much dieback occurred over winter, and remove the dieback to the new growth when the clematis starts to bud or leaf out. If by some miracle you did not have dieback then trim back the clematis by 1/3 at the top.

It is different every year, some years are better than others. But do not let that discourage you, for I had clematis that died back to the ground and came up just fine!
Popular clematis in this group: Nelly Moser, Miss Bateman, Lasurstern, Duchess of Edinburgh, Mrs. Cholmondeley, Niobe, Royal Velvet red, President, and Rosemoor.

Niobe (left) Josephine (middle) Rosemoor (right)

Group 3

This group is made up of the easiest clematis to prune! The clematis in group three bloom from summer to late fall (July-September).

All you have to do is hard prune! Simply trim the entire clematis down to 18 inches or so off the ground in the Spring when the buds begin to swell (basically when the leaves just start to come out). These clematis only bloom on new wood.

Popular clematis in this group:

C. viticella, C. flammula, C. tangutica,C. xjackmanii, Perle d’Azur, Royal Velours, Duchess of Albany, Countesse de Bouchard, Ernest Markham, Lady Betty Balfour, Rhapsody, Victor Hugo, Polish Spirit, Madame Julia Correvon , Amanda Marie, Etoile Violettes, Huldine, Ville de Lyon, Bonanza.

Bonanza (left), Durandii (middle), Patrica Ann Fretwell (right)

Sweet Autumn (left) Jackmanii (middle) Ville de Lyon (right)

If by chance you do not know which of the 3 groups your Clematis belong to, do not despair! There is a good tip to make it easy for you to find out…

Do not do anything to your clematis for the first season, just pay attention to when and how many times it flowers. This will let you determine which group your clematis belong to.

A Different School of Thought

Depending on which book you get your information from, there are different schools of thought on the subject of pruning, which can lead to some confusion.

Here is another rule that you can follow if you so desire…

If you do not want to prune your clematis you don’t have to unless…

It is too big for the area chosen for it

The blooms end up all at the top of the plants where you can’t see them or enjoy them

You have a great deal of dieback due to our cold winters

For more information I found two particularly helpful links…

Garden Action
Clematis Nursery

Both of these sites have some great diagrams to help you through the whole pruning process!

Stay tuned for my next article on planting clematis and some foolproof tips on how to grow them!
Happy Gardening,
Marie Suzanne

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