Pruning climbers

There are a couple of rules of thumb. Deciduous climbers should be pruned when they are resting, between November and April. Evergreen climbers or plants which only shed their leaves in a harsh frost should be pruned in (early) spring.

Index:

Pruning climbing plants

Ivy (Hedera) is therefore best pruned in the early spring. Preferably do this before the young leaves are formed. Otherwise the plant will have to find the energy to produce them twice. It is also sometimes recommended that you prune ivy late in the winter. In any case you can remove ugly old foliage then.

Always remove ivy from places where it will become a nuisance, for example if paintwork is in danger of being engulfed.
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Pruning flowering climbing plants

It is essential to know when they flower. Climbers which flower in the summer such as honeysuckle (Lonicera) or Clematis viticella will flower better if you cut back old shoots and branches in the early spring (February/March). That encourages flowering. Do not cut the side shoots back to fewer than four or five buds from the join with the stem. These sorts of plants only form buds after pruning.

Climbers which flower in the spring have already formed their flower buds in the preceding months. If you were to prune then, you would prune off the flower buds, resulting in little or no flowering at all. Such plants must therefore only be pruned after flowering. The plant will then produce fresh shoots which will flower in the subsequent year.
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When to prune climbers

Honeysuckle (Lonicera) – deciduous: prune after flowering (not by more than a third)
Grape (Vitis) – deciduous: prune before 1 February; cut excessively long shoots back in the summer
Trumpet creeper (Campsis) – deciduous: prune in the winter or early spring at the latest. Can be cut back vigorously
Virginia creeper (Parthenosissus) – deciduous: prune back in the late autumn or in the winter
Climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris) – deciduous: needs virtually no pruning. Cut back if the plant threatens to become too big.

Clematis, a special case

When it comes to pruning, you need to establish which Clematis group your plant belongs to.
There are three groups:

The early flowering types with species such as Clematis alpina, C. macropetala and C. montana. These are generally small-flowered species which grow profusely. Cut all scrawny shoots back immediately after flowering. Also remove damaged and dead shoots. Cut them back to where the plant looks healthy again.
Clematis which flower repeatedly. These often flower in two waves and later in the year than the species in group 1. These are large-flowered types such as ‘Nelly Moser’, ‘Barbara Jackman’, ‘Lasurstern’ and dozens of others. They usually flower in the early summer on the old shoots and later again on the new shoots. This does make pruning a bit tricky, of course. Remove weak, diseased or damaged shoots in the spring, and wait until after the second flowering to cut the rest of the shoots back.
These are the late flowering types, such as the species from the Jackmanii Group, Clematis viticelli, C. tangutica, but also ‘Ernest Markham’, for example. These are all plants which flower on the new shoots. They can be pruned in the spring. Do it when the new buds are already clearly visible. Prune to about one to one and a half metres above the ground.

Pruning climbing plants is not that hard

A lot of climbing plants need little or no pruning. They are usually pruned in order to keep them under control. It is rarely necessary for their health. Pruning is certainly required if climbers threaten to overwhelm other plants, unless you want them to. When ivy or honeysuckle climbs up a tree, it can look wonderful. The tree is unlikely to be bothered by species like that.

But there are climbers which really can suffocate other plants. These are particularly woody, winding species such as the magnificent staff vine (Celastrus), and Wisteria. And it is not just trees; drainpipes can also easily be crushed. You therefore need to decide carefully where you want to allow these splendid plants to grow (or not grow), and be ready to prune them regularly Regular pruning can then be very necessary.

Another notoriously rampant climber which really does creep over and under everything is the silver lace vine (Fallopia aubertii) which can cover an entire shed very quickly, but can also pull the roof off the walls if it gets underneath it. This plant’s growing power is astonishing.

You must therefore take account of the growing habits of the species and the space that your garden offers. There are also major differences in pruning needs. Rapid growth almost always means more pruning, unless they can be left to do their own thing. You don’t need to do much to a honeysuckle or a rambling rose (a giant climbing rose) which is growing up a tree, but you often do with Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus) or ivy (Hedera).
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Pruning to maintain health

Climbing plants sometimes need to be pruned to keep them healthy. For example that is the case with species which can suffer badly from frost (Passiflora, some species of Clematis, the trumpet creeper (Campsis)). The frost-bitten dead twigs and shoots can start to rot, after which the entire plant can be affected. Such plants always need to be cut back after the winter.

Even with species that normally need hardly any pruning, it is a good idea to inspect the branches for disease and damage from time to time. Always prune off anything that does not look healthy. Do not hesitate to do it, and do not delay either. A lot of evergreen climbers look less impressive after the winter. Trim them into shape again and they will look good for a whole season. This applies to Ceanothus and Passiflora, amongst others.
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Variegated climbers

Climbers with variegated leaves can suddenly develop shoots with green foliage. That is the original form of the plant which spontaneously recurs. The green form is always stronger than the variegated. The green branches can therefore start to dominate the variegated ones, and that is naturally not the intention. Cut them off right at their join as soon as you see them, regardless of the season.
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Prune at the time of planting

A lot of climbing plants are supplied with a climbing frame or cane in the pot, against which they are growing. When planting do not leave it in place, but carefully undo the shoots and tie them to their new climbing support. Do not forget to cut the shoots back a bit at that time. It gives an enormous boost to growth.
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Climbers which have got very rampant

What to do depends on the type of climber. If it is deciduous, then you can prune it back vigorously late in the winter and guide the new shoots upwards again. With evergreen climbers such drastic measures are the wrong thing to do. You will have to spread the corrective pruning over several years in order to avoid pruning the plant to death. So prune in parts, so that the plant is never entirely without foliage.
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A note on pruning trained shrubs

Trained shrubs are ordinary shrubs that are pruned in such a way that their branches stretch out in a fairly flat pattern in front of a wall or fence. If flowers and berries or other fruit are produced, they are clearly visible and can offer additional decorative value. Prune trained shrubs which flower before 21 June (the longest day) after they have flowered, and prune varieties which flower after that date early in the spring.

Always remove all the branches that disrupt the desired shape. Old branches of somewhat older plants which are often heavily bifurcated can be pruned off in order to make space for younger branches. You need to prune frequently to keep plants like Pyracantha close and smooth against the wall.
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