ok, you might sacrifice any or all bloom if you prune back heavily now. But chances are that you will not do any real damage to the plants by cutting back.

Try cutting back to above a node to encourage lower branching. Though if you don't prune above a node, its very likely that the roots will just send up more shoots. Give thought to on what you will be having them grow (a trellis, for example) so that you will not face having them regrow into messes again before the end of the year.

Alternately, you could try cutting back most stems of each, but leave one long stem to produce some blooms so you know what you're dealing with in the future. (as different clematis have different pruning habits and growth habits)

by the way (btw) welcome to the clematis forum....be warned a little time here and you will look back and remember when you only had those 4 you inherited with the house.

~Chills

What zone are you in?

I bought a 'sorry-looking dried- out Jackmanii' (?)plant from WalMart a few years ago & it has bloomed every year since despite my thoughts that clematis were kinda hard to grow so I just bought the scraggly plant on a whim. Like the initial lady's ?, my clematis is now growing over a 6 ft. lattice fence & I wondered if I should/needed to trim it back or just let it ramble? It blooms heavily at the bushy top & now some shoots at the base blooming ... it faces north so the roots are shaded much of the day but not the top. Thanks for any help for this gardener who never thought she could grow a clematis here in the high desert ... hardier plant than I'd thought!

Vieja,

Your description sounds like what I would want the clematis to do..I'd plant something at its base for added interest...or add some "artwork" there...statue, birdbath, etc.

Robert

Vieja..Your Clematis "Jackmanii" is a pruning group 3 and should be hard pruned each late winter/early Spring as it only blooms on the new vines produced during the growing season....Jeanne