Hmm, never heard that expression before and its not correct either. If you need to prune a montana clematis, it should be done immediately after flowering is finished (just like Jasmine nudiflorum, Forsythia and a host of other plants that flower before June). If you clip it now, you may lose some flowers but it doesn't look like you have a choice if you want to still see there's a pergola there.

I've just checked - that saying refers to Clematis hybrids, not early flowering species - yours is a species.

Isn't it beautiful in flower?

Bamboo the label says it's a Montana grandiflora also known as old man's beard and travellers joy the first photo is as it is now the one with the flowers was taken in May I heard Monty don give that advice on gardens world !! So don't know if he's right it's never been cut back since planted about 10 years but just feel its need a little trim but don't want to kill it lol . The perfume from the flowers is out of this world .

I think Monty meant that C. montana doesn't have to be pruned at all as a regular thing. I tend to leave mine until they get really overgrown then just have a massive cutback (back to the ground if you like). Yes, you will lose flowers for one year if you do it this late, but it won't harm the plant.

That's absolutely right: If it flowers before June, don't prune. However, that doesn't mean you *can't* prune, just that it doesn't *need* pruning.

If you leave C. Montana to its own devices, though, it will grow to enormous proportions, so, to keep it in bounds, prune after flowering. But be very careful - if you cut right back into the old wood of a C. Montana, especially one of this size, it's unlikely to survive.

That's not been my experience, Rosierose - I've cut several down the years, right back to the main woody trunk on two separate plants, and once down to the ground, including the main woody trunk. They all grew back with a vengeance...

its odd that the label says C. montana is also Old mans Beard/travellers Joy as that is a native Clematis C vitalba, the flowers are pale green.

I have pruned mine back at other times when it has got out of hand and it has always returned.

'Travellers joy' often appears as a ubiquitous common name for any large species clematis - nonsense of course, it does refer to C vitalba, the native wild one as you say Seaburngirl.

Thanks for your advice your all so knowledgeable ! Well I will be brave and give it a little tidy up and hope it won't turn it to a " Chelsea chop " ?

Give it a little tidy now, and a harder prune back next year as soon as the flowers are over.