Forum home› Plants

clematis pruning

Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713
in Plants
I have a couple of montana clematis which I think are group 1.  The are just a mass of tangled almost dead looking growths.  Can I prune them now, even though my book tells me not to bother.  Will they look good in the summer if I leave them alone?

Posts

  • BijdezeeBijdezee Posts: 1,484
    Best to wait until after they've flowered, it's not too long now, and then you can give them a good hacking back  :)
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 28,841
    If yo hack them back now you will lose all the spring flowers for this year.  They are group 1 so should be pruned after flowering, either with a judicious trim to keep them in bounds or a serious hack back to low buds if you need to regenerate.   Feed generously after pruning and tie in the new stems as they grow.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • Big Blue SkyBig Blue Sky Posts: 684
    I have clematis Princess Kate which according to the description is supposed to be pruned down to the ground in winter. However it showing leaf buds as high up the stem as 1m. Do I still prune it down? Or can I just leave it as is? I just love its flowers so wouldn’t want to risk loosing a season of flowering. The plant is young, just 2 years. 
    Surrey
  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713
    I always thought they had to be pruned in the winter - just goes to show what I know (or don't know).  This clematis Montana Grandiflora looks a total mess, however it does have buds showing on some of the stems and I don't want to lose what flowers may appear. Thank you for your advice @Obelixx and @Bijdezee

  • Richard HodsonRichard Hodson Posts: 790

    According to the breeder Princess Kate is texensis group, ( although we will never know for sure because no parentage is declared ),  so therefore it should be pruned to the floor in February. You could try to root some of the stems that are showing new growth, well worth a try and doesn't cost anything.


  • Big Blue SkyBig Blue Sky Posts: 684
    Richard Hodson said:

    According to the breeder Princess Kate is texensis group, ( although we will never know for sure because no parentage is declared ),  so therefore it should be pruned to the floor in February. You could try to root some of the stems that are showing new growth, well worth a try and doesn't cost anything.


    Thank you very much for your advice Richard. I will definitely do just that. Actually I’m quite excited about trying to root the cuttings and potentially get a new plant. Princess Kate is such a lovely clematis 😊
    Surrey
Sign In or Register to comment.