When to cut back climbers

[scrumpy78]

please can someone tell me when to cut back my clematis and boston ivy? i have been growing them for 2 years, and have never pruned them coz i dont know what i'm doing! clematis flowers in summer, do i cut all the brown dead off back to where? last year all the brown turned green and flowered but didnt actually spread any further? same with the ivy?

[WendyS]

Scrumpy. Now is a good time to prune these hard back, i.e. to within 18 inches of the ground before the spring buds start to apear. They will soon recover and the pruning back will invigorate them. In my experience, any ivy variety will take as much pruning back as you care to give it as they are pretty vigorous growers and soon sprout back again.

[Plocket]

Hi Scrumpy78! As a very general rule for clematis remember "If it flowers before June, don't prune". If your's is a Group 3 clematis the best time to cut it back is late February/early March. Cut the whole plant (all the dead leaves) back to about 12 to 18 inches above the ground. If yours is a Group 2 clematis then you can remove dead or weak stems in late February/early March but the best time for pruning is after flowering. If you have a Group 1 clematis it doesn't require pruning but can be tidied up after flowering. I hope this helps with regard to your clematis.

[logman]

Hi Scuumpy i would agree that prunning you clematis back to about 18" any time from now up to early march,i prunned my 3 last week.

The Boston Ivy(Parthenocissus tricuspidata) is not a true ivy and will not beniffit from prunning but can be cut back to keep it neat and tidy, if its on brick work you can use an old knife and run it down to keep it clear around windows etc. Despite its common name it originates from China and Japan. Best of Luck..

[corrideo]

How do know which group it belongs to? I have Dr Ruppell, Nelly Moser, montana rubens, Miss Bateman, Vivan Pennell. Any thoughts?

[Plocket]

Corrideo, all yours are group 2s except for the montana which is group 1. Group 2s you prune after flowering and tidy off dead stems in spring. Group 1s you don't prune but montanas can be hacked back after flowering if they are a bit rampant. Hope that helps.