PERENNIALS
How do you get that beautiful Clematis you see in neighbors yards or in the magazines? A few helpful hints will get you on your way. Pruning tends to be the most puzzling question. The fact is, clematis will survive, and even bloom, with no pruning. But with the right pruning, it will grow and bloom more vigorously. Timing is important: Don’t prune in the fall. Let your clematis stay unpruned and dormant until spring. You’ll also need to know which pruning group your clematis is in:
A, B or C (sometimes called 1,2 & 3).
The tag on the plant should tell you. If not, just watch it grow for a year. Pay attention when it blooms, notice weather it blooms on woody stems that survived the winter, or new stems from this year.
Group A or 1: Spring flowering-only prune if overgrown and do it right after flowering.
Group B or 2: Mid-season flowering-generally the large flowered types. Prune out spindly or dead shoots. Older plants benefit from a hard-pruning to 12” from ground to train new growth.
Group C or 3: Late-season flowering-Always prune to 12” in early spring.