Not at all! Many clematis growers prefer to wait until late winter/early spring as the buds begin swelling to do their pruning chores......but that is not a requirement. You can prune in fall if you prefer.

If these are newly planted clems, then it is suggested that they be hard pruned for at least their first growing season, if not two. Hard pruning means cutting back to the second set of buds above the ground. Hard pruning of newly planted clems of any type is recommended to encourage better root development and stimulate more stem growth from the root crown. Both of these will limit chances of clematis wilt and any potential damage to just a single, fragile stem.

After establishment, you may want to approach pruning differently. The Comtesse is a group 3 clem that blooms on new growth so hard pruning each year is recommended for this variety. Dr Ruppel is a group 2, blooming on both old and new growth. You can prune lightly in late winter, taking back about a third of the vine and then again after the first bloom flush to stimulate a later season rebloom. Or, you can just do a hard prune like you would do on the Comtesse. All this will do is delay the initial bloom period slightly. I hard prune ALL my prunable clems regardless of pruning group just to simplify the pruning chores - hard to remember who gets pruned how when there's a bunch to tend to :-) In mild climates with a long growing season - like yours and mine - hard pruning has minimal effect on the resultant flower display of a group 2 and it sure simplifies things!