Your curious questions answered
Clematis are wonderfully generous plants that are generally easy to grow. But when it comes to pruning, they can be a little confusing. When should you cut them back? How hard should you prune? And what happens if you get it wrong?
The good news is that nothing bad will happen if you prune your clematis incorrectly, but you could sacrifice a year of blooms. The best way to prune your clematis is to find out which pruning group it belongs to. This should be noted on the back of your plant label. Once you know which group your clematis belongs to, pruning becomes much less of a guessing game. Let’s take a look at the three groups and when to reach for the secateurs.
Clematis Group 1: Flowers on old wood
Clematis in this group flower on stems produced the previous year, generally in late winter or spring. They don’t need regular hard pruning. Once flowering has finished, remove any dead, damaged or congested growth and trim back if the plant needs reshaping.
When to prune: After flowering, usually late spring.
Clematis Group 2: Flowers on old and new wood
These are usually the large-flowered hybrids. They produce their first flowers on growth from the previous year, followed by a second flush on new growth later in the season. Give them a light prune in late winter/early spring, removing weak or damaged stems and cutting back to a pair of strong buds. They can also be lightly trimmed after the first flush to encourage the second flowering.
When to prune: Lightly in late winter/early spring, with a second light trim after the first flush if required.
Clematis Group 3: Flowers on new wood
These clematis flower on growth produced during the current season. They are the easiest to prune: cut them back hard in late winter/early spring, generally to around 20–50 cm above ground level, just above a strong pair of buds.
When to prune: Late winter/early spring.
