Quote:
Originally Posted by ewizabeth
Hi all,
I have a Jackmanii clematis that does well in our backyard. I've always cut it down to ground level in early spring and it comes back full by midsummer. Would it work to just leave the old vines up? Will they all come to life again? Or will some of them be dead? Will it grow larger if I do it this way? Thanks in advance.  |
Hi Wiz!
Brain is correct, there are three categories of Clematis based on how to prune them. I advise clients to keep the tags that come with them so they know which ones need to be pruned how; however you are not likely to kill them if they are not pruned properly as they are very resilient!
The Jackmanii is a summer bloomer and also blooms on new wood. Therefore, it should be pruned back each year so you will have better blooms. However, if you want it to grow taller each year, don't cut it back as far as you did the year before.
Here's a good website that explains the 3 categories of clematis.
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/c...824028038.html