You should be fine pruning now.

I did mine today. I usually prune them between mid to late March, but this year it's been so mild up here that I decided to get a head start. Besides, it's just SO nice to finally get out in the garden and do something!
Judith

I also prune mid-March. Just soon as all this snow melts, which it finally is agreeing to do.

I usually prune in Mid-March, but I may need to start sooner. I noticed tonight that my Triternata Rubromarginata already has about 2 feet of new growth coming from a stam over 6 feet from the ground. I am planning on tracing back that stem and pruning back all other stems nice and low.

I don't know if any of my other 20+ clematis are growing already, and its too late to go out and start checking them.

Its been quite an unusual winter here in SE Michigan..

~Chills

I went out and cut the nasty dead stuff out of the top figuring I'd prune the right way toward the end of the month, thinking I'd make it easier on myself later.

Then I read this thread, went by the consensus of posters' advice, went back out and pruned hard. 1 Polish Spirit and 2 Mme. Julia Correvon, prune 3, read the vendor's info on them.

I cut pretty close to the ground all the stems of Polish Spirit, didn't see any buds on them like I did the Julia's. But I think the leaves might be more reddish. Julia 2 feet or so like the vendor said, didn't always choose the best bud sets, but went for uniform height.

But that's done. Thanks for the thread; it was helpful. I'm not too worried. If Polish Spirit goes to clematis heaven, I don't care at this point, but it did well last year. I think it will put more stems up from underground.

I've already called my mother and told her to prune hers back when she gets a chance. We got some rain up here about a week ago and lost almost all of our snow, and upon checking Miss Bateman was setting buds, as was Amanda Marie and Mme. Baron V.

Thanks for all the replies. We had a "heat wave" this week, temps in the 50s. I went out and cut back the clematis, and the warm weather has caused some of them to be showing new growth. Can cross 1 task off the list now . . . .

I cut back my 2nd year clems today. I saw a lot of new buds poking at ground level too on some of them, and new buds on the stems of the older ones. Yippee! I can't wait to see them do their stuff!