Pruning Clematis
When and how — Clematis 'Jackmanii'
Prune your clematis in February and March — the optimal month is usually March.
The next pruning window is February next year.
When to prune?
The climber clematis is pruned in February and March.
Climber pruning is about structure and keeping space against the support.
Pruning climbers does two things: keeps the plant on its support and lets light and air through. Timing depends heavily on species, and flowering season points the way. Spring-flowering clematis (Group 1, e.g. Clematis montana) is pruned immediately after flowering in May or June; summer-flowering clematis (Group 3, e.g. Clematis viticella) is cut back hard to 30 cm in March. Climbing roses are thinned in February, keeping the horizontally-trained main stems and shortening side-shoots to two or three buds. Wisteria needs two prunings a year (July and winter) — without them it simply won't flower.
How to prune clematis
Clematis 'Jackmanii' belongs to pruning group 3 (also called group C or the late-flowering group), which means it flowers on the current season's growth and benefits from hard pruning each year. Prune in February or March, before new growth begins in earnest. This timing encourages vigorous shoots that will carry flowers from early summer through to late summer. Use clean, sharp secateurs or loppers. Cut all stems back hard to a pair of strong buds roughly 20–30 cm above ground level. Don't be timid—this cultivar responds well to severe pruning and will quickly produce plenty of new growth once the weather warms. If you leave old stems unpruned, the plant becomes a tangled mass of bare, woody growth at the base with flowers appearing only at the top, well out of sight. As you prune, remove any dead, damaged, or weak stems entirely. Disentangle the old growth carefully from its support; clematis stems can be brittle, so work patiently. After pruning, the plant will look like a collection of short stubs, but by late spring it will have produced a framework of fresh shoots. Tie these in loosely as they grow to spread them evenly across the support and maximise flowering coverage. If your clematis has become severely overgrown or neglected, the same hard pruning in late winter will rejuvenate it. You may sacrifice one season's flowers, but the plant will reward you with healthier, more abundant blooms the following year.
Common mistakes
✗ Skipping the July prune on wisteria
Wisteria flowers freely only if you cut the long whippy shoots back to 5–6 buds from the main framework in July. Skip it and you get plenty of leaf and almost no bloom.
✗ Pruning all clematis the same way
Clematis are divided into Group 1, 2 or 3 — each pruned differently. Group 1 not at all (flowers on old wood), Group 2 lightly in February, Group 3 hard in March. Always check the group before you reach for the secateurs.
✗ Letting climbing roses grow vertically
A climbing rose trained horizontally flowers along its entire length. Trained vertically it only flowers at the top. Plan this from planting time with your support.
Combine with feeding
In March you can combine pruning with feeding — efficient, and you only disturb the plant once. Read the full care guide for clematis →
Too late this year? Here's what to do
Better to wait than prune at the wrong moment. The next optimal window is February next year. Until then: leave the plant alone — only remove dead or diseased wood (which you can do year-round).
