I really thought I understood planting my clems. Then I got to thinking...and you know how that goes!
I live in a climate with a very short summer. I am not sure that I would even get two bloom cycles in the best of times. For the most part, can I just prune everything down in the spring and treat them the same? If not, this really messes up my color combos. I have some that I do not prune at all (one is blue bird) except to shape and train them. That I totally get. But can I prune the vitacellas back hard like the others? Should I?

If you know the names of them, your answers are waiting: just go to Clematis on the Web and do an A-Z search. If not, then COTW will still be able to guide you. My little search just came up with the fact that you're entirely correct about the way you treat Blue Bird, also that BB can be planted anywhere. C. Viticella itself is a Group 3 and yes, just cut it back to about a couple of feet in the spring. There are quite a few other viticellas; just go to the Clematis A-Z button and click the letter you want, and it'll have a list of every clematis that exists (well, only if you have the correct name!).

Good luck!

Oh! Here's the COTW website - http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk...

Thanks Christine. I regularly search COTW and love it. I just have so many clems and hate to laboriously search each one if someone can tell me here if the vit's can be pruned. Looks like they can!
Thanks again

Jennie

Viticellas are typically a type 3 pruning group. Prune them down to the first or second node about the time the forsythia are in bloom. When you prune them down, don't forget to scratch a bit of tomato or rose food into the ground and water well to get the plant food going.

Does anyone know if there is a pruning schedule in this cubit anywhere?

Stormy

that I do not know, however, I do have my own schedule that I have drawn up. I can send it to you if you would like.

Yes, Thanks, Carolyn. i thought I saw a schedule here at one time, but I couldn't find it yesterday.

There was an article on pruning here at one time, but all of the articles seem to have disappeared. Odd!

There is pruning advice in the database, however, so if you look up your cultivars, you'll find the pruning guidelines for them.

Thanks, ZuZu. I remember reading and commenting on that pruning article because it was something that I needed.

I remember it well too, Stormy. It was a very good article, written by Venu. Maybe you could try contacting her.

Thanks, ZuZu I will.