how to prune clematis

How to Prune Your Clematis On your clematis you want to find a node (also called a leave axil bud) which is a joint on the stem where buds begin to branch out. Like all plants, clematis need to be pruned in order for the plant to produce healthy blooms. Clematis is a genus of climbing vines popular in gardens for their very showy flowers and attractive, whirlwind-like seed clusters shortly after. If you can’t figure out when to prune because you don’t know when the plant flowers, prune hard just what you need to to keep the size reasonable and let the rest go for a year. If you just planted your clematis, you might consider sacrificing green growth and flowers in exchange for root growth that makes a strong plant in the long-term. This type of clematis is best pruned in early spring before blooming. She earned a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from Western Michigan University in 2014. 1) Early flowering clematis Early flowering clematis typically bloom in April and May, from buds produced during the last growing season. Pruning not only helps the plant to flower, it also allows the plant to produce more shoots from the base so that the clematis can grow taller and fuller. For tips on understanding growing cycles, read on! It won't affect blooming as long as you prune the plant. Start by removing shoots that have bloomed. Once you know a little about your own plant, a step by step guide may help you through the pruning process of your specific variety. Is it okay to cut the top off my clematis to stop further upward growth? Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Depending on your clematis variety, you can leave the plant as it is and prune it in the spring or prune it to the ground and cover it with mulch. The Crowood Press, 2001 . well, don’t be. I learned I have two different types of clematis, so I must do differently for. Clematis queries came thick and fast in the wake of my advice on the pruning of Clematis montana. Lauren Kurtz is a Naturalist and Horticultural Specialist. This article was co-authored by Lauren Kurtz. You can cut the top stems, but the more you cut, the more it will grow. Spring blooming clematis blooms on the old wood, meaning that they form their buds the previous year. Should I cut off the flowers after the petals have fallen? This means that each year in March you should prune back all the stems to just about 12 inches off the ground to make way for the new growth. A July pruning could potentially disrupt next spring’s bloom. Introducing "One Thing": A New Video Series, The Spruce Gardening & Plant Care Review Board, The Spruce Renovations and Repair Review Board. If you prune at the right time, it’s okay to prune a lot (“hard”). Find out your variety to decide when to prune. Don’t expect a wall alone to provide support: unlike ivy, clematis cannot cling to a bare vertical surface. Since the flowers are the most important aspect of these plants, their bloom time dictates when and how to prune clematis. But it’s your garden—your rules. You’ll want to make your prune just above the node. This article has been viewed 30,874 times. Does it hurt a late spring/early summer clematis if you prune it in late July? I could have ruined one or the other without your helpful advice! Step one: know when your clematis blooms. How to prune depends on which clematis variety you have. Thank you! By the way, you certainly can try letting your vines scramble on the ground or perhaps on a nearby standing dead shrub, for a more informal look. Some clematis bloom on old wood some on new wood. Back to basics - how to prune clematis. For tips on understanding growing cycles, read on! Clematis will do fine without annual pruning. Gooch, Ruth. I, "Thank you for your information! Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Your clematis won’t die from pruning in July. Prune Early Spring-Blooming Clematis (Group 1) This is a group that can be left unpruned during some years without much negative impact. Start by deciding what size you wanted your plant to eventually be at maturity. Pruning hard at the wrong time. But if you prune hard at the wrong time, especially if you are shearing off the whole outside of the plant (a bad technique), you won’t see any blooms this year. This group goes dormant in the winter, letting the stems die off, and then they grow anew each spring. Pruning in July can delay or reduce bloom the following year. If you prune a little, it’s okay to prune at the wrong time. Clematis is the scientific name and the most common name for this group of plants, but some of the old and popular species are also called traveler’s joy, virgin’s bower, and old man’s beard. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. Be sure that you cut all dead branches and the other stems back to a height of 18 inches (45 centimeters). Don't cut the plant in the summer, but don't forget to do so after the fall blooming. Consider growing an early blooming clematis and then plant a late blooming clematis to grow up the legs of the mature early bloomer. Too afraid to prune. These trims should be light. Last Updated: February 26, 2020 Flowers are the most important impact of clematis, so keeping them blooming strong, every year, is our main goal for pruning clematis. Neglected clematis grow tall and bear flowers too high to see, or scramble all around, shade themselves, and bear flowers sparsely. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. ", http://awaytogarden.com/fear-not-how-to-prune-clematis-with-dan-long/, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. The best way to make your Clematis bloom is to cut it. If your clematis was planted this year, hold off on pruning until next season. Lauren Kurtz is a Naturalist and Horticultural Specialist. The Spruce uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. The time to prune them is straight after they have finished flowering so that they have time to grow vigorously during summer, and will have lots of "new" old wood to blossom from next spring. Because these plants flower on old wood, you want to give them as much time as possible to develop for the next season. A Group One clematis needs little or no pruning – just give it a tidy after flowering. Late spring/early summer bloomers are pruned before they bloom, in the early spring. Take a step-by-step approach to pruning clematis. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. In this case, 100% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. Remove any dead or damaged stems, and prune to fit the space you have. This is probably determined by the size of your armature, but keep in mind that you want to be able to reach the top to prune and train it. If you have Henryi or Nelly Moser varieties, prune them in the early spring by cutting the vine just above the buds and removing the top part of the plant. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful (and bountiful) garden ever. By pruning you control size, keep the plant trained to its armature, and create the space for new growth to replace old wood. At the right time of year, cut back late bloomers to the ground and matured spring bloomers to their original framework of tidy, strong, trained stems. Again, these flower from the old wood. Tie in the stems to their supports and mulch. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 30,874 times. Early spring bloomers are best pruned after they finish flowering. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. Ruth Gooch, author of Clematis the Complete Guide, suggests hard pruning all one- to three-year-old clematis down to the second set of strong buds above ground level. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d7\/Prune-Clematis-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Prune-Clematis-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d7\/Prune-Clematis-Step-1.jpg\/aid1211627-v4-728px-Prune-Clematis-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"