I meant to say newly planted clems.

I also meant to ask - WHERE do I prune these? When you say above a bud, do you mean a flower bud?

Sorry...I have a brown thumb and this is all greek to me.

I saw a post recently with a pic showing where to prune, but now I can't find it.

You prune just above a "Leaf Axil" which you can see in my pic is where the new leaf buds form
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You can prune at about 6-12 inches from the soil...I go at about the 3rd/4th leaf axil..
Newly planted clematis survival rate is better if you "pinch" out the tops of the vine...leaving about 3 sets of leaves...this is so the clematis can focus on growing roots and not vines..Jeanne

Great exlempary picture, Jeanne. Pruning and pinching is so confusing and daunting for most of us, it's nice to see exactly where.

What I can't seem to grasp is, doesn't removing leaves deprive the plant of it's energy producing mechanisms?

Thanks Jeanne. I pruned them back today...*sigh*

I was so excited that they grew so well I was hesitant to cut them back...but of course I would rather the roots establish themselves well and grow thicker in the long run.

Great pics. Thanks

Kim..glad to be of help..a picture sure helps simplify all those botanical terms..LOL
"What I can't seem to grasp is, doesn't removing leaves deprive the plant of it's energy producing mechanisms?"
Mary..You aren't "pinching" off all the leaves..You are leaving at least 3 sets of leaves..these will do the job, so you aren't depriving the plant of the much needed Photosynthesis process..this stops the vine from growing and redirects the energy of the plant to stop growing its vines and focus on growing its roots..which is a GOOD THING..especially for immature Clematis....Jeanne