Clematis - prune or not?

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Some members were concerned about the thorny subject of Clematis pruning…which, when and how. I promised that I’d write a blog in the gap between the open days…while I have nothing to do in the garden!! LOL. (Who am I kidding?)

I will tell you all about my first ever Open Days after the 11th. I’ll just say that yesterday went very, very well. :-)

Back to Clematis. I am not an expert but I have built up quite a collection of Clematis, flowering right through the year, so I can pass on what I’ve learned, anyway!

C. Nelly Moser

That’s a familiar one, isn’t it!

Clematis are divided into three groups for pruning purposes … if you buy a new one, the label will tell you that your new plant is in group 1, 2 or 3 … possibly using A, B or C instead of the numbers.

If you have older plants and no labels, it is easy to check the group if you know the name of your Clematis, on GOY, via the Clematis Society website, or of course in a book.

Group 1 Clematis

Evergreen winter and early spring flowering Clematis fall into group 1. So these will include the C. cirrhosas like ‘Freckles’, C. Armandii, the C. montanas like my favourite ‘Broughton Star’…

C. alpinas, like this one which is called C. alpina ‘Helsingborg’

And C. macropetalas like this pretty one called ‘Blue Lagoon’.

Group 1 Clematis do not have to be pruned – apart from cutting out dead or damaged shoots – unless they are outgrowing the space you have for them. This can happen with the more vigorous ones, especially the montana group. They will not object at all to being cut back after they have flowered….if you do it before, you’ll lose the flowers! It’s best to keep the cutting back to a trim, but they can be cut hard back if necessary.

Group 2 Clematis:

Clematis ‘Niobe’

Clematis ‘Vyvyan Pennell’

Clematis in this group do need a little pruning before the new growth starts in early spring. It is best to cut out any damaged shoots at the top of the previous year’s growth, and then look for healthy pairs of buds further down each stem. Try to create a framework as these buds will produce strong shoots and then the flowers. Don’t cut back hard! This group usually has large flowers, in mid-spring, and then often flower again in late summer. C. ‘Nelly Moser’ is a group 2 Clematis, too.

Group 3 Clematis:

These are the ones that flower later in the summer, like Clematis jackmanii superba:

the C. viticellas, like C. ‘Etoile Violette’

and C. tangutica, aswell as the C. texensis group.

These Clematis should be cut hard back to about 10" above the ground – above healthy pairs of buds on each stem in early spring as soon as you can spot the buds. They will also grow quickly from each bud and need tying in to a framework. They flower only once, but usually give a fantastic show of colour as they do!

Please don’t forget that your Clematis is a greedy feeder – it needs feeding as you plant it, after you’ve pruned it, and during its growing season as well. I use blood, fish and bone around the root area in early spring, then a liquid feed for the rest of the time.

I do hope that this has de-mystified this subject a bit for those who were anxious about pruning their Clematis.

5 Jun, 2009
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Comments

Sanbaz

great, thats a big help spritz,, can i ask,, my early sensation is very small, was full of flowers but shall i just leave it because its not even 12 inches in height yet,, are they slow growing or should i see a big differance next year

5 Jun, 2009

Clematis - prune or not?

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