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There
is a very simple rule of thumb that can be applied
to pruning clematis if you have lost a plant label
and/or don't know what the plant is called.
- Don't prune clematis which
flower on the previous year's growth (ie before
June in central England)
- Hard prune clematis which
flower on the current year's growth (ie from
June onwards)
As always, there are exceptions to
the rule but they are few. If you garden further north
in the British Isles or elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere
you need to adjust pruning times accordingly. If you
live in the Southern Hemisphere your adjustment needs
to take account of the reversed seasons.
Newly planted clematis
- All newly planted clematis should
be hard pruned in the first early spring (February
or March) after planting. Remove the top growth
by making a clean cut just above the first set
of live buds on each stem. This will cause the
plant to grow into two stems or shoots. Pinch
out these growing stems once or twice suring
spring. The exception to this general rule are
herbaceous clematis ( C. recta, C. integrifolia
and C. heracleifolia) which should be hard
pruned in the autumn or late February irrespective
of age - in other words, treat them just as any
other herbaceous plant.
Established clematis
Clematis are generally grouped into
one of three categories for pruning purposes:
- Category 1 (sometimes called
'A'): no pruning
- Category 2 (sometimes called
'B'): light pruning
- Category 3 (sometimes called
'C'): hard pruning
- Category 1 (or 'A'): no pruning
- This category includes C alpina,
C chrysocoma, C macropetala, C montana and
the evergreen C cirrhosa and C armandii groups.
If you wish to prune these types because they
have outgrown their space they should be pruned immediately after
flowering. You may or may not lose your plant
as a result of the pruning. You might want
to reduce the plant size over two or three
seasons rather than in one go.
- Category 2 (or 'B'): light
pruning
- This category includes the early
large-flowered forms including the double and
semi-double cultivars. These plants produce their
main flush of flowers in May and early June on
stems made in the previous year so pruning is
limited to cutting out dead or weak shoots in
February. This is best achieved by working your
way down from the top of each stem until you
reach a healthy bud and then pruning just above
it. Refrain from heavier pruning or you will
have no early flowers. After the early flowers
have finished you can prune back some of the
flowered shoots to encourage new growth. This
is also the time to cut back a plant that has
outgrown its position or which has become an
unsightly tangle at the top. Again, be careful.
Reduce the plant over two or three seasons rather
than in one brutal prune.
- Category 3 (or 'C'): hard
pruning
- This category includes the late
large-flowered hybrids and the small-flowered viticellas,
orientalis and texensis groups. These
plants flower on the new season's growth. Prune
in February by starting at the bottom of the
plant and working your way up the stem to the
first pair of plump, healthy buds. Prune the
stem above the buds and remove everything above
the cut. Treat each stem in a similar way. The
plant will be encouraged to make strong new growth
and an abundance of flowers.
Adapted and abridged from BCS Factsheet
No.1 'Hints on Planting and Pruning Clematis' by
Everett Leeds and Mary Toomey |
