Clematis Pruning Groups: A Complete Guide to Groups A, B, and C

Clematis vines bloom spectacularly, but without pruning they become a tangle of bare stems with flowers only at the top. The key is knowing your plant's pruning group—determined by when it flowers.

Group A: Early Bloomers on Old Wood

Bloom: April–May on previous year's growth.
Prune: Immediately after flowering, no later than late July.
Action: Remove spent shoots; thin to improve framework. Don't cut woody trunks.

Species: C. alpina, C. macropetala, C. armandii, C. montana, C. chrysocoma, C. cirrhosa.

Group B: Double Bloomers

Bloom: First flush early summer on old wood; second flush late summer on new growth.
Prune: Feb–Mar: remove dead/weak stems, cut back to topmost plump green buds (6–18″ from tips).
After second flush (June): Cut back new growth to ~18″.

Cultivars: 'Nelly Moser', 'Miss Bateman', 'Lasurstern', 'Duchess of Edinburgh', 'Mrs. Cholmondeley', 'Vyvyan Pennell', 'Niobe'.

Group C: Late Bloomers on New Wood

Bloom: After early summer on current season's growth.
Prune: Feb–Mar: cut all stems to 24–36″ height. Can remove some good buds.

Species: C. viticella, C. flammula, C. tangutica, C. maximowicziana, 'Perle d'Azur', 'Royal Velours'.

Aftercare

• Tie new stems with twine.
• Apply granular fertilizer and mulch with compost or leaf mold.
• Consult a local nursery for region-specific advice.

Match your pruning to your clematis group for a vine that's full of flowers from base to tip.