How to prune clematis viticella

Late winter to early spring (February–March). Cut every stem down to 30–45 cm above soil level, just above a pair of healthy buds. Untangle and remove the old stems from their support. Mulch and feed after pruning. New growth breaks quickly from the low framework and produces the season's abundant small nodding flowers from midsummer onward.

Annually (hard cut every late winter). Clematis viticella and its cultivars are Group 3, blooming profusely on new season's growth from midsummer to early autumn. Hard prune all stems back to 30–45 cm above ground each late winter. Without this annual cut, the plant becomes a tangled mass of dead wood with flowers retreating to the tips of long bare stems.

Cut every stem down to 30–45 cm above soil level, just above a pair of healthy buds. Untangle and remove the old stems from their support. Mulch and feed after pruning. New growth breaks quickly from the low framework and produces the season's abundant small nodding flowers from midsummer onward.