Learn when and how to properly prune different types of plants: spring bloomers, summer bloomers and repeat bloomers. Gord Nickel shows you different groups of plants and explains when and how you should prune them.

Video Transcription

Gord: So, yes the early blooming tapes are typically the macropetala, and el pino, and the Armando, they are [voice overlap] small bell shape flowers. They grew on last year’s growth. So, once you are finished blooming all you need to is just clean them up a bit and that will probably be on June and then you just leave them, let the wood harden and then they will set by again next year, that is all you are going to do. Or, you do not even have to prune them at all; you can just leave them alone. Male 2: Let them go. Gord: Yes. Okay, and then you got the midseason bloomers we will call them the group B’s, basically the same thing. They bloom in May and June. Once they are finished blooming you can just clean them up a bit, or you can even clean them up a bit before they start blooming. But, they do not really require a lot of pruning, just a shape. And the, you got the group C’s. They start to bloom at July and those are the viticella, you jackmanii, flintily on and those ones you prune hard and you do it when they are dormant. So, usually in January or February just o to your garden and you cut them right back within a foot in the ground. Male 2: Perfect. I was going to say sneaking it out unless we got one right here, now what is this one and how will you prune this? Gord: Well this is a viticella polish spirit it is a great grower. Summer bloomer so, again it is one that you do not want to prune hard. Now, normally in the winter you are not going to have all these foliage on it. We are going to prune it hard now and it is not going to hurt it. Male 2: We keep saying that. Gord: It will just make it grow more that is all it will do. But, if it was a dormant in February what you do is just go ahead break back cut it to about there and now you are about a foot from the ground we are sitting next to the ground, just cut it right off. Male 2: Now, is there a particular spot on the stem that people should be pruning to? Gord: You want to make sure that there is a leaf node, let us say two leaf node below where you pruned… Male 2: Brutal. Gord: But, it really cleans things up for you, you know things at the garden for the winter. In fact, it even go back a little bit further. We are covering these nodes here, you got a node there and a node there you want to have at least two of those below where you pruned. And the, your growth will come from below the ground and it will come from the leaf nodes. So that is really all that we got to it, and if there is any leaves on it normally you just strip them off you know then tie it right up and when you do this, they are typically going to be brown because it is going to be dormant. Male 2: Until there is nothing left. Gord: There is nothing left. You can use a little bit of variations in the length of the stem but it is not necessary. That is how you prune your rupsis. Male 2: You know, between the facts that you said I cannot kill it by whatever I do in what we just did to this poor thing, I think everyone is feeling pretty easy about the way they have done with their clematis. Gord: Well, they should. They are really not difficult to prune. Male 2: Thanks Gord, I really appreciate it