spring pruning

[carolnell]

I'm fairly new to gardening. Am I supposed to cut back Clematis & Trumpet Honeysuckle vine in spring or do they just leaf out on their own?

[lorijones]

Do you know which kind of Clematis you have? Some varieties bloom on new wood and others bloom on wood produced during the previous growing season. If they bloom in the spring, then they are producing flowers on old wood. These clematis should be pruned after they finish blooming. At this time you can cut back the stems that have flowered and thin other stems out if necessary to make it look better, removing any weak stems as well. If they bloom in the summer, then they are producing flowers on new wood (wood produced in the current growing season). These should be cut back and thinned before growth begins in the spring. You can cut back the previous season's growth to about 12". This will encourage the vine to become fuller and bloom better. Some clematis bloom on both new and old wood and will bloom in the spring on old wood and in the summer on new wood. In this case, wait until after the spring bloom to do any major thinning and pruning.

Trumpet honeysuckle should be pruned in late winter or early spring - March is a good time. Cut back any wayward stems that are growing in the wrong direction, remove any weak shoots, and thin some of the side shoots out completely, spacing them out more evenly. If you need to rejuvenate older vines, you can 1/3 of the oldest stems completely to the ground.