Pruning and re-blooming all depend on the clematis variety in which you have. Clematis that blooms off of old growth needs to be pruned right after they bloom. Usually those are clematis that are called Montana “something”. These clematis only bloom in May and June and will not bloom again until next year.

Another group of clematis bloom off the ripened stems from last year and only need the old dead stems cut off. These clematis are multiple month bloomers and really don’t need de-heading to encourage the re-blooming process.

A third group bloom off of new growth and need to be trimmed in February and March as the new buds begin to show. These clematis are also multiple month bloomers and don’t really require any extra effort to bloom again.

For a detailed break down of the pruning and blooming cycle of clematis, you can read the information that Donahue’s Clematis has on it’s website. Donahue’s Clematis is the top clematis propagator in the nation. They have been supplying nurseries and landscapers for years with quality clematis and have an extensive amount of information about them.