Pruning a clematis
 

Hi all,

We've only been in this house a few months and so we're enjoying what
the garden surprises us with.

There's a highly fragrant clematis that's just finished flowering. Pale
mauve flowers, with 4 round-ended petals, fairly dark green leaves and
dark stems. On a north-east facing wall and about 2m tall now. It had a
massive display of flowers a month or so ago and filled the entire house
with the scent whenever we opened the window nearest it!

I've googled a bit but not found it, nor determined what pruning group
it's in. So, any clues welcome, what should I do with it now? It's a bit
of a tangled mess but I can see what looks like old wood deep inside.
I've snipped off a couple of straggly bits but does it need a hard prune
or just a haircut? It would be great if it did all that again next
spring.

Thanks in advance.

The pruning groups are 1) early flowering clematis, mostly species and small flowered varieties 2) mid-season flowerers, including most of the big flowered ones 3) late season flowerers.

So you can deduce the pruning group by the time of flowering - so yours would be group 1. As Janet says, you can get away without pruning.

Even if you don't prune, the plants will flower. It seems to me that the main reason for pruning is to keep the flowers somewhere where you can see them rather than on the tops of the trees.

Pruning a clematis
 

On Sun, 22 May 2011 17:24:33 +0100, Alistair Tyrrell
wrote:

Hi all,

We've only been in this house a few months and so we're enjoying what
the garden surprises us with.

There's a highly fragrant clematis that's just finished flowering. Pale
mauve flowers, with 4 round-ended petals, fairly dark green leaves and
dark stems. On a north-east facing wall and about 2m tall now. It had a
massive display of flowers a month or so ago and filled the entire house
with the scent whenever we opened the window nearest it!

I've googled a bit but not found it, nor determined what pruning group
it's in. So, any clues welcome, what should I do with it now? It's a bit
of a tangled mess but I can see what looks like old wood deep inside.
I've snipped off a couple of straggly bits but does it need a hard prune
or just a haircut? It would be great if it did all that again next
spring.

I like the sound of this; highly fragrant, pale mauve. I've not
encountered a clematis montana which fits that description, but if
anyone can name it, I want one! TIA
I do agree that otherwise the description sounds very like montana.
You can prune it or not prune it. A relative had one growing up two
storeys to his roof. he cut it down to the ground. It came back in
abundance!

Pam in Bristol

Pruning a clematis
 

Sacha wrote...


Clematis montana rubens, perhaps?


Thanks, that one is very similar though the pictures I googled are
mostly pink, mine is definitely mauve lilac colour. The habit looks the
same.

Pruning a clematis
 

kay wrote...


The pruning groups are 1) early flowering clematis, mostly species and
small flowered varieties 2) mid-season flowerers, including most of the
big flowered ones 3) late season flowerers.

So you can deduce the pruning group by the time of flowering - so yours
would be group 1. As Janet says, you can get away without pruning.

Even if you don't prune, the plants will flower. It seems to me that the
main reason for pruning is to keep the flowers somewhere where you can
see them rather than on the tops of the trees.



Thanks. I've just found the estate agent's photo of this house taken
about a year ago and I can see the clematis in the photo but about half
as massive as it is today! So I think I will give it a prune this
weekend just to keep it under control. I've also noticed it's got little
baby versions coming out of the ground beneath it so it's obviously keen
to grow on.