Cutting question that holds gardeners spellbound for the right answer

When to prune, when not to prune, how to prune, what to prune? With many plants, it's obvious, but with some it's anything but. Talking of climbers always brings forth the name, clematis. How do you prune clematis and when? There are so many and the worry is that you'll treat them all the same. But they're not.

Take C Montana, for example, which flowers early in the year and then romps away, producing masses of growth. Should it be pruned like the summer bloomers, such as 'Ville de Lyon' and that seductive 'Comtesse de Bouchard'?

Pruning clematis is, sadly, a task steeped in myth; despite the gardener's penchant for growing vast numbers of this most beautiful of flowering shrubs, when it comes to keeping them in shape and encouraging them to bloom again, when to cut, where to cut and how to

cut are three questions which cause untold misery.

And yet it's simple; when you know to which group your clematis belongs, pruning becomes just another annual chore. Basically, clematis fall into three groups – those which have small flowers in spring and summer; those which have large flowers in mid-summer; and those which bloom in late summer, like the aforementioned 'Ville de Lyon' and 'Comtesse de Bouchard'.

All you need to remember is that the first two groups need pruning immediately after they have finished flowering, while the late bloomers need cutting back hard early in the year to encourage fresh growth because it's on those new shoots that the year's flowers will appear. So, just cut all the stems right down to the bottom pair of buds; in fact, almost to the ground.

The only time you serve up the same sort of treatment to the spring and early summer bloomers is when they are newly-planted; by pruning them to shape, you encourage stronger growth and a sturdier framework for future years.

But if in doubt, leave well alone.