I would cut them back, not necessarily to help their roots but to encourage more vines.

It is generally recommended to pot up small plants that arrive by mail order into gallons and grow them on before planting in the garden.

Brushwood plants, IMO, arrive ready for the garden.

Thanks, Janet and BoS. I do understand the logic of potting up vines that arrive in those really small pots. I treat them the way I do rooted cuttings and overwinter them in my attached greenhouse. My question had more to do with the top growth on these Brushwood plants. BoS says to cut them back, but how far? Obviously I want them to get the best start possible. Many thanks, Gary

I'd like to know this too as I got my Brushwood ones last week and Silver Star ones are coming this week. I wasn't planning on cutting them back since they are little guys, but if it will help with branching then I'll do it. I'm assuming not to cut too far down but I really don't know.
Can someone tell us?

I agree..I've never potted up any of Dan's clematis from Brushwood..as Janet said they are "Garden-ready"..sounds like you planted them well ..just stay ontop of keeping the roots moist till they start putting out new leaves which is a sign they are happy where you planted them...if they are pruning group 2's..I do recommend cutting them back..for that is the variety that can suffer wilt..if your clematis don't arrive moist..I put mine in a shady area..water well and let sit a day or two before planting for if a clematis arrives stressed out from its travel and dried out soil..allow it time to recoup before stressing it out by planting immediately..those shipped not in pots dry out faster and need rehydrating worse than those in moist pots...Jeanne

Sorry, I've never bought from Brushwood and have no idea how tiny his plants are or are not. Mail order clems I've received were ALL tiny and needed growing on. I'll add Brushwood to the exception list with Silver Star Vinery.

Anyway, I cut every Clematis I plant back when I plant. Six inches to twelve inches depending on how big it is. I plant them deep and then whack them back. Cut just above buds/nodes.

Clematis are not instant gratification plants. They need hard pruning several times when new to get them off to the best start possible. Pinching out growing tips too. You want them to send up more vines from the crown.

Type IIs will produce one or two long scraggly vines with few flowers in most cases if not pruned and pinched.

They can be very slow to establish, they can be very frustrating too.

I tend NOT to cut back my clematis when planting out, but then most of mine are relatively mature plants compared to most mail order - one or 2 gallon sized containers. While growing them on to that size (if containerized), I do cut them back hard in late winter and follow the same method for those planted directly in the ground for at least the first two growing seasons. Then I follow recommended pruning guidelines.

IMO, whether you prune back now or at the beginning of next season is up to you. Pruning back now may encourage additional shooting from the root crown, which is the same thing that growing on small vines in a container for a season will accomplish. The more stems emerging from the root crown, the more resilient the plant is to damage and wilt. It does not hurt the plant to prune back at any time during the growing season - wholesale growers do it all the time to control all that madly vining topgrowth - you may just eliminate flowering for that season.