This is a question that puzzles many people. Clematis have developed a sort of mystique that intimidates even experienced gardeners. Clematis are placed into groups depending upon their habits, flower type and flowering times and each group is pruned in a different manner. Knowing the ‘group’ of your plant should tell you when to prune it. But wait... it is simpler than that. All you really need to know is when it flowers.

Clematis that flower before the middle of June (approximately) are blooming on ‘old wood’, that is, they formed their flower buds during the previous season. An early pruning would remove these buds and thus the current year’s flowers. (Similar to spring blooming shrubs such as Forsythia and Lilac.) Therefore it is best to prune them AFTER they flower — except to remove any dead or damaged canes.

However if the Clematis first blooms after about mid-June, it is doing so on ‘new wood’ or current season’s growth and therefore a heavy pruning in very early spring is recommended.

Clematis that are completely herbaceous and die to the ground each autumn, simply need their dead growth removed to tidy them up in the spring. So... if you know the name of your Clematis you could look up its pruning group and/or flowering time. But if you don’t know its name, or perhaps you have just purchased a house with existing landscaping, do nothing until it flowers and then proceed with a light pruning as appropriate. Waiting until you get to ‘know’ your plants is always advisable.