Clematis are fast growers that cannot support themselves. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 30,886 times. Should I cut off the flowers after the petals have fallen? The late bloomer will fill in the base of the early bloomer and you'll have flowers all spring and summer long. To prune spring blooming clematis, like Alpina, Montana, and Armandii varieties, give them a light trim by cutting back any damaged or stray stems after they bloom. If your clematis was planted this year, hold off on pruning until next season. 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. I learned I have two different types of clematis, so I must do differently for. Your clematis won’t die from pruning in July. Pruning in July can delay or reduce bloom the following year. . Clematis pruning groups include those that flower on new growth and those that bloom on last year’s woody stem. ", http://awaytogarden.com/fear-not-how-to-prune-clematis-with-dan-long/, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Some clematis bloom on old wood some on new wood. Jonathan Landsman is a professional horticulturist and former city planner for the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation. For tips on understanding growing cycles, read on! In pruning clematis, your overall goal is to create a plant that will flower strongly each year at various heights from ground level to a comfortable height where you can enjoy and reach the plant for maintenance. Clematis varieties in this group generally produce a heavy flush of flowers in the spring and then bloom again in smaller quantities later in the season. Josephina variety usually bloom twice a year, in the spring and in the fall. Neglected clematis grow tall and bear flowers too high to see, or scramble all around, shade themselves, and bear flowers sparsely. {"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":"