I had 4 clematis - 2 in full sun and 2 which got sun for about 6 hours a
day. They performed equally well, although the ones in partial sun had more
foliage at the top because the sun hit that area first as it crested over
the house. All 4 plants were gorgeous and healthy. The ones in partial sun
had pretty lousy soil because my ex-wife kept removing the mulch for some
unknown reason.

So, I would not move your plants unless they're in deep shade. Improve the
soil with organic matter (composted cow manure, mulch, etc). Since we're
headed for the hottest part of the year, I wouldn't hack away at the plant
much, if at all. Get them back on their trellis and tolerate the temporary
ugliness. Maybe snip off some bad leaves here & there as nicer ones grow.

By the way, I had a book about pruning from the Royal Horticultural Society.
It said that clematis can be cut down to a foot or two above the ground in
very early spring, or not. We tried it, and the plants were still 8 feet
tall by May. Other years, we didn't touch them. Couldn't see a difference
after 18 years of observation.

"ooha" wrote in message
...
I have planted three clematis vines in the back yard two years ago. First
year they were doing fine and growing a bit. Second year - I was sick and
was in the hospitals all summer. This year- the trellis fell apart from
wind
and the three plants were on the ground when I walked out early spring. I
have put in a better trellis and tried to "hoist" the plants. They look
ugly now with lots of 'brown spots" on leaves and very few leaves.
I want to rescue these vines since they are among the few that survived my
complete neglect last summer.
Can I prune them and re plant in a better area of the garden with better
soil? Or do I have to lift them with all the ugly leaves and all?
Cincinnati- ZONE 5/6.