GARDEN CAPSULE

The challenge: Some of your clematis vines need taming but you don’t know if you should prune them now.

The solution: Base the pruning time on which kind of clematis you have.

Group One: Wait to prune any clematis that blooms early in the growing season until after all flowering is completed. Prune this group sparingly, removing only dead or weak stems. Examples include Elizabeth,

Blue Dancer, Pink Flamingo and Markhams Pink. The best time for pruning clematis depends on the variety. Small-flowered Betty Corning, shown here, is best pruned back to 6 or 8 inches in February or March.

Group Two: If you have Clair de Lune, Duchess of Edinburgh, Nelly Moser, Sunset or other large-flowered variety that blooms in midsummer, prune it in early spring by cutting each shoot back as much a moderate amount, making your cut just above any live, swollen leaf bud.

Group Three: Prune late bloomers such as Sweet Autumn, Sweet Summer Lace and Betty Corning more aggressively, cutting these vines back hard to just 6 or 8 inches from the ground in February or March.

Pluses: Pruning tall clematis varieties brings the flowers back down to eye level where you can more easily enjoy their beauty and fragrance. Clematis is durable and will usually tolerate any pruning mistakes, even if it means sacrificing a season of blooms.

Minuses: If you don’t know the variety of clematis you have, you may have to monitor its behavior for a season to determine the best pruning time.

Sources: If you know the variety name of your clematis, the Minnesota clematis specialist, Donahue’s Greenhouse, offers specific pruning information at donahuesclematis.com. Under Growing Clematis, click on Pruning Info.