im pretty good with clematis vines, so I get the whole, "three types of pruning" techniques they fall into, but im wondering... we have a "pink champagne" plant that's going on 5 years old. it sits on our front patio in a cedar box that measures 2 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet. its doing great and we've never pruned it, hence its pretty darn thick in some spots. me and my girl are having a tough time deciding exactly where to thin it out in order to "shape" it best and to promote this years new growth. given that next years flowers will only show up on this years growth, is it wise to thin out as much of the old wood as possible before it starts putting on new growth in the coming weeks and months? in other words, why keep old wood around if it wont produce any flowers next year? part two of my question: most of this seasons flowers seemed to be at the top of the plant. is there a technique to ensure flowers over the entire vine?
