Does it bloom on the new vines grown during the season or old vines from seasons past?...Please share pic of bloom...Jeanne

It is always covered from top to just about 12" from the bottom. It is done flowering, except for a few blooms that opened this week. I will post a picture later tonight. Thanks for your reply Jeanne

look forward to seeing the pics..blooming on old vines means pruning group 2 usually and new vines means pruning group 3

This is the picture and I think it blooms on old vines, but not sure. I have planted a new clematis at the bottom called 'Niobe' the tag says that it would bloom early autumn, but it is in bloom already. Any help on how and when to prun would be great. Thanks

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:592941}}

You need to take a close up pic of the bloom to show the tepals and anthers...Jeanne

My Niobe that I have had for years always blooms in June. Mine started on May 31st & is still going full fledged now. People in warmer zones will get a 2nd bloom later in the season, mine has never rebloomed.

Even from far away, that looks like my Niobe, which will be blooming in about a week, I think.

Like me, you need to identify your clematis, look up the pruning specifics, then get to work. I often see recommendations to identify when your clematis is in bloom to determine when to prune it. Since I'm unsure of two of my clematis identitites, I'll be following the "when it blooms" pruning directions.

The OP wants to identify the huge tangled Clematis that Niobe is planted at the base of....;)

Clematis are helped by pruning, not hurt. It does not hurt them if you prune them the "wrong" way. Since that Clem is a huge tangled mess with tons of dead wood in the middle I'd hard prune it next spring. Since the OP is in Utah where winters can be very cold I'd avoid doing it now.

My Niobe is in full bloom now and has not bloomed again in fall but it is new.

This is the bloom of the pink one(the larger one in the back) thanks

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:592943}}

It looks like a montana which is a pruning group 1. It will only bloom on old wood. If you hard prune it next year you will have no blooms. Montana's can get very big, up to 30'tall. You might have to prune the top back 2 or 3 feet every year to keep the size down. You can give it a light pruning now, right after it blooms. Niobe is a type 2 which blooms on old wood also. You can just light prune that after it blooms also. The Montana may overwhelm the Niobe eventually.

Don't you think that since it is a tangled mess of dead wood, hard pruning would be a good thing?

I agree about whacking it down for more than to get rid of the dead wood, I would also retrain it. The way it's growing now is leading it no where but a bigger puff at the top. Your house looks like a great opportunity to train it several ways. Google Clematis montana & just click images at the top to get some ideas on what other people have done & to also get an idea how big it can get. Very neat!

I agree with BoS...It should be pruned down to untangle..looks like a montana to me as well..so many pinks..I have Montana "Mayleen"...Jeanne

How low do I go with a hard trim? It just finished flowering, so cant I trim it right now? Do I need to leave some of the green vine, or should I go all the way down to the woody stuff at the bottom. I dont want to kill it. Also maybe I better move my niobe. I wanted a clematis that would grow with the montana and bloom in the fall. Any ideas? Thank-you so much to everyone for your help. There is so much knowledge on this site.

I would do it now. I can't tell by your pic as to the whether there are leaf buds lower then the dead wood, the Niobe is in the way. I would cut it just beneath the dead wood. Maybe another pic of the base would help.

Did you have the opportunity to google pics of montana? I can so see you training that in several different ways. I currently have one planted on the east side of my shed & was planning on training it to grow along the eaves.

Late flowering clems would be Madame Baron Veillard, Lady Betty Balfour, & Clematis terniflora. Be very aware of how the terniflora can grow & self seed! Hopefully others will have more options than I can think of.

Thanks for the reply lalalandwi, There is about 2feet at the bottom with just bare wood vine, no green. Do I need to leave a little green on it at the bottom? Sounds like you are saying to go lower.

I have taken your suggestion, and googled pictures of montanas. My mind has been churning on Ideas that would look good, and that I would be able to put support wire up for.

I will check out your suggestions for a fall bloomer to go with the montana. Thanks