Clematis"Early Sensation".

magant11

Hello everyone, 
I have this clematis growing on a wicker wigwam and it has become very tangled and unruly, could anyone help me with advice on how to prune it and where,and could I cut it down and start again ?.
Many thanks.

Purplerain

Let it flower and then cut it back hard to just above a low bud.  It is a group 1 clematis and will look better next year.

A tip I have discovered is to make an extra wigwam frame by tying three 6ft canes with a cable tie around the original wigwam if it is getting out of hand. They attach very quickly and it gives them room to bloom.

Obelixx

It's a group 1 clematis which means it gets pruned, just to keep it tidy and within bounds, after flowering is finished in spring.   In order to keep it renewed, you can, in theory, cut out one or two main stems at the base and then, when wilted, pull them out.  This encourages the clematis to make new shoots but is not easy with tangled clems.

In my experience, wicker wigwams and obelisks are very short lived structures and break or rot easily.   If you can't untangle the stems to re-train them in a more orderly fashion, I suggest it's worth cutting all its stems back to 2 or 3 pairs of low buds - depending on how brave you're feeling - and then give it a stronger support, feed it and train any new growth carefully around, rather than up.

Horizontal or diagonal stems make more flowers than vertical stems so it's worth taking the trouble.   

You can also try taking cuttings of the upper growth before yo do the major hack.

This site - http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk/new-clemdetail.cfm?dbkey=151 - tells you more about your clematis and has info on pruning groups - http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk/new-pruning.cfm
and this site tells you about propagating from cuttings - http://www.clematisinternational.com/prop.html

Purplerain

I had a wee google and it is a "non clinger" so you will have to help it along with string or something. 

Busy-Lizzie

Mine grows into a greengage tree, after helping it up the trunk it's managed to drape itself without help.