Clematis Pruning: Vittcella (Group 3)

Clematis in this group flower later in the year on the current year's growth so can be pruned on a regular basis.

When do they need pruning?

Pruning should be carried out in late winter or early spring when the new shoots start to show through.

How should they to be training?

Ideally, the plants should be given a strong trellis or wires to grow up.

How should I prune them?

if the plant is to be pruned early in the year then this can be achieved by pinching out the growing tips of the plant. Be careful though as the new growth is brittle so you need to be careful when tieing the plants in place. If the plant is more mature, it should be pruned back hard each year. If it is left then it's ability to flower and it's vigour will be reduced for following seasons. Prune back to a healthy set of buds between 15 and 20cm from ground level. remove any stems damaged or killed by frost completely (new ones usually develop anyway).

Which plants fall into this pruning group?

Clematis 'Abundance'
Clematis 'Etoile Violette'
Clematis 'Ernest Markham'
Clematis 'Duchess of Albany''
Clematis 'Lady Correvon'
Clematis 'Lady Betty Balfour'
Clematis 'Madame Julia Correvon'
Clematis 'Royal Velours'
Clematis 'Ville de Lyons'
And other varieties which fall into the Texensis or Viticella groups.

Clematis 'Bill MacKenzie'
Clematis 'Burford Variety'
Clematis 'Corry'
Clematis 'Helios'
Clematis 'Orange Peel'
Clematis orientalis
Clematis serratifolia
Clematis tangutica
Clematis tibetana sbsp. 'Vernayi'
These varieties can be grown in small gardens and restricted sites, but will grow larger with minimal pruning.

Clematis 'Comtesse de Bouchard'
Clematis 'Gypsy Queen'
Clematis 'Hagley Hybrid'
Clematis 'Jackmanii'
Clematis 'Jackmanii Superba'
Clematis 'John Huxtable'
Clematis 'Niobe'
Clematis 'Perle D'Azur'
Clematis 'Rouge Cardinal'
Clematis 'Star of India'
These Clematis can be pruned in this group (3) or group 2.