IDENTIFY
Clematis pruning-group identification guide
If you don't know your clematis's name, these questions get you to the right pruning group in most cases. If you're still unsure at the end, read the safe-default note below rather than guessing.
- 1
Does it keep its leaves through winter, and does it start flowering before March?
YesEvergreen winter/early-spring flowerers (armandii, cirrhosa types).→ Pruning group 1 › - 2
When does it produce most of its flowers?
March to May, then little or nothing the rest of the yearDeciduous but flowers early on last year's growth (alpina, macropetala, montana types).→ Pruning group 1 ›May to June, sometimes with a smaller second flush in late summer→ Pruning group 2 ›Only from July onwards, through to autumn→ Pruning group 3 › - 3
Have you ever cut it back hard (to about 20-30cm from the ground) in late winter, and did it still flower normally that same year?
Yes, it flowered fine after a hard cut→ Pruning group 3 ›No / never tried / don't know→ keep the Step 2 estimate
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If you are still unsure
If you genuinely can't tell group 2 from group 3, treat it as group 3 (hard prune in February). Worst case you lose one year's-worth of the earliest flowers on a group-2 plant — a group-3 plant never hard-pruned just gets bare and leggy at the base over time, it doesn't die. The reverse mistake is worse: hard-pruning a true group 1 in winter removes wood that already carries that year's flower buds.
COMMON MISTAKE
The single most damaging mistake is applying group three's hard February cut to a group-one plant (armandii, montana, alpina, macropetala types) — it removes the wood that was about to flower and can cost a full year's display without killing the plant outright.
Already know the variety name?
The name on the label tells you the type.
Clematis armandiiPruning group 1 › · Evergreen with long glossy leaves and clusters of fragrant white (sometimes pink-flushed) flowers in late winter and early spring. Needs a sheltered, sunny wall — the foliage can suffer in hard frost or cold wind.
Clematis cirrhosaPruning group 1 › · Evergreen, flowers through winter into early spring — nodding, bell-shaped, cream to pale yellow, sometimes freckled inside. One of the very few clematis that flowers in the depths of winter.
Clematis cirrhosa ‘Freckles’Pruning group 1 › · Cirrhosa selection with cream flowers heavily speckled maroon-red inside — the most widely sold winter-flowering clematis in UK garden centres.
Clematis cirrhosa ‘Wisley Cream’Pruning group 1 › · Cirrhosa selection with plain creamy-white flowers, less heavily marked than 'Freckles'.
Clematis alpinaPruning group 1 › · Compact, non-clinging species with small, nodding, bell-shaped blue flowers in mid- to late spring. Doesn't need much support and suits a large pot.
Clematis alpina ‘Frances Rivis’Pruning group 1 › · Larger-flowered alpina selection, blue with a hint of white at the centre.
Clematis alpina ‘Pamela Jackman’Pruning group 1 › · Deep blue alpina selection, one of the most vigorous.
Clematis macropetalaPruning group 1 › · Similar to alpina but with fuller, semi-double 'powder-puff' flowers, usually blue-violet.
Clematis macropetala ‘Markham’s Pink'Pruning group 1 › · Pink-flowered macropetala selection.
Clematis macropetala ‘Blue Bird’Pruning group 1 › · Semi-double, soft blue macropetala selection, one of the most widely available.
Clematis montanaPruning group 1 › · Vigorous, very free-flowering species that can cover a large wall or tree in a few years; small white flowers smother the plant in late spring. Too vigorous for a small garden or container.
Clematis montana ‘Elizabeth’Pruning group 1 › · Montana selection with pale pink, vanilla-scented flowers.
Clematis montana var. rubensPruning group 1 › · Montana form with bronze-tinted young foliage and deeper pink flowers.
Clematis ‘Rosy O’Grady'Pruning group 1 › · Montana-type hybrid, soft pink flowers, slightly less rampant than the species.
Clematis ‘White Columbine’Pruning group 1 › · Macropetala-type hybrid with white, columbine-like nodding flowers.
Clematis ‘Constance’Pruning group 1 › · Alpina-type hybrid, deep pink, one of the earliest to flower in this group.
Clematis ‘Nelly Moser’Pruning group 2 › · Large, pale mauve-pink flowers with a darker carmine bar down each petal; one of the most recognisable and widely sold clematis in the UK. Colour fades in strong sun, so best with some shade for part of the day.
Clematis ‘Doctor Ruppel’Pruning group 2 › · Large flowers, deep pink with a darker carmine bar, similar habit to 'Nelly Moser' but slightly more vigorous.
Clematis ‘Bees’ Jubilee'Pruning group 2 › · Mauve-pink with a deep carmine bar, compact habit, good for a large pot.
Clematis ‘Barbara Jackman’Pruning group 2 › · Violet-blue with a red-purple bar, one of the older, still very popular garden hybrids.
Clematis ‘Marie Boisselot’Pruning group 2 › · Pure white, very large flowers, flowers over a long season into early autumn; one of the best whites for a north-facing spot.
Clematis ‘The President’Pruning group 2 › · Deep purple-blue, silvery reverse to the petals, reliable and widely available.
Clematis ‘Niobe’Pruning group 2 › · Deep velvety red, one of the darkest-flowered clematis commonly sold.
Clematis ‘Miss Bateman’Pruning group 2 › · White with contrasting deep red anthers, compact and free-flowering early in the group-two season.
Clematis ‘Multi Blue’Pruning group 2 › · Fully double, blue-violet, spiky-petalled flowers — one of the most distinctive 'double' clematis on sale.
Clematis ‘Vyvyan Pennell’Pruning group 2 › · Fully double, lavender-blue early flowers on old wood, often followed by single flowers later in summer on new growth — a genus classic for double flowers.
Clematis ‘H.F. Young’Pruning group 2 › · Rich lavender-blue, large flowers, one of the more reliable blues for a shadier spot.
Clematis ‘Elsa Späth’Pruning group 2 › · Deep blue-purple, very large flowers, long-established and still widely sold under this name (also seen as 'Xerxes').
Clematis ‘Duchess of Edinburgh’Pruning group 2 › · Fully double white, scented — one of the few scented large-flowered clematis.
Clematis ‘Belle of Woking’Pruning group 2 › · Fully double, silvery-mauve, an older double variety.
Clematis ‘Snow Queen’Pruning group 2 › · White with a faint pink flush and dark red anthers, vigorous and free-flowering.
Clematis ‘Piilu’Pruning group 2 › · Compact, semi-double pale pink with a darker bar, one of the best for a container thanks to its restrained size.
Clematis ‘Perle d’Azur'Pruning group 3 › · Sky-blue, medium-sized flowers produced in huge numbers over a long summer season — often named as the best all-round blue clematis for a UK garden.
Clematis ‘Jackmanii’Pruning group 3 › · The original large-flowered purple hybrid that gave its name to the whole 'Jackmanii group'; deep violet-purple, extremely free-flowering. Sometimes listed as pruning group two, but grows and flowers reliably under the harder group-three regime.
Clematis ‘Comtesse de Bouchaud’Pruning group 3 › · Clear rose-pink, vigorous and reliable; sometimes listed as pruning group two, but does equally well hard-pruned as group three.
Clematis ‘Gipsy Queen’Pruning group 3 › · Deep velvety purple, one of the darkest late-flowering hybrids; sometimes listed as pruning group two, but reliable under hard, group-three pruning.
Clematis ‘Hagley Hybrid’Pruning group 3 › · Shell-pink, free-flowering; sometimes listed as pruning group two, but reliable under hard, group-three pruning.
Clematis ‘Ville de Lyon’Pruning group 3 › · Carmine-red with darker edges, a long-established, very free-flowering variety.
Clematis ‘Ernest Markham’Pruning group 3 › · Vivid magenta-red, vigorous, one of the best reds for a warm, sunny wall.
Clematis ‘Étoile Violette’Pruning group 3 › · Viticella-type, deep purple with yellow stamens, masses of smaller flowers, very reliable and disease-resistant.
Clematis ‘Polish Spirit’Pruning group 3 › · Viticella-type, deep purple-blue, extremely free-flowering and vigorous.
Clematis ‘Prince Charles’Pruning group 3 › · Viticella-type, soft mauve-blue, compact and well suited to a large pot.
Clematis ‘Madame Julia Correvon’Pruning group 3 › · Viticella-type, wine-red, one of the most reliable and widely recommended reds in this group.
Clematis ‘Rouge Cardinal’Pruning group 3 › · Deep velvety crimson-red, large flowers for a group-three variety.
Clematis ‘Princess Diana’Pruning group 3 › · Texensis-type, tulip-shaped, deep pink flowers held upright rather than flat-faced — a distinctive habit within this group.
Clematis ‘Abundance’Pruning group 3 › · Viticella-type, wine-pink, small flowers in great abundance, vigorous.
Clematis viticellaPruning group 3 › · The wild species behind the whole 'viticella group' of small-flowered, very hardy, disease-resistant late hybrids ('Étoile Violette', 'Polish Spirit', 'Prince Charles', 'Madame Julia Correvon' and others all belong to it).
Clematis tanguticaPruning group 3 › · Small, nodding, bright yellow lantern-shaped flowers followed by fluffy silver seedheads that can last into winter; very vigorous and tolerant of poorer soil.
Clematis ‘Bill MacKenzie’Pruning group 3 › · Tangutica-type, the most widely grown yellow-flowered clematis, with the same fluffy silver seedheads; very vigorous, good for covering a large fence or shed fast.