Clematis are a versatile group of climbing garden vines that can add color and height to your garden. Clematis, like most flowering vines, are best displayed when trained over a trellis, planted adjacent to another climbing plant such as a climbing rose or encouraged to grow through a large garden shrub or on a tree.

Clematis are easy to grow if you just remember that they perform best when the majority of the vine is in full sun while the base of the vine and the roots are in the shade. Pruning clematis is essential to encourage new growth which in turn translates into more flowers. The easiest way to determine when to prune your clematis is to keep track of when it blooms. The three general clematis pruning categories are:   


GROUP 1: Clematis in Group 1 flower in the spring on old wood, or the previous season's growth. Very little pruning is needed except for occasional light shaping which can be done immediately after the main bloom is finished.

GROUP 2: Clematis in Group 2 bloom in early summer on last year's growth, and often have an additional bloom flush in the fall on the current year's growth. Group 2 Clematis only need to be pruned lightly by removing the top 10-12" of each shoot back to a firmly swollen bud in late winter or very early spring.

GROUP 3: Clematis in Group 3 are typically very vigorous vines that bloom on new growth of the current season. To promote heavy blooms every year the entire vine should be pruned back to about 2' from the ground, making sure to leave some healthy-looking new growth buds.

Clematis are easy to grow and will typically bloom for you the first year they are planted in your garden. Stargazer Perennials offers hardy clematis vines in 1 gallon nursery trade containers. We ship our hardy clematis vines throughout the United States May through October.