Where are you generally? Blooming at this time of year, it's probably an early large-flowered type, so type 2 pruning.

Zone 8b. Northern California. What is type 2? I'm not familiar with that term.

Duh. I googled it. I'm thinking sub group 2b. Does that make sense? Thank you!

In a long growing season, like your CA zone 8, you can ignore the subgroupings :-) Just prune as you would all type 2's.....or........you can do what I do and hard prune like a type 3, much as babs explains the winter weather does for her. In our mild climate, a hard pruning has no negligible effect on type 2's except to delay the bloom period slightly, if at all. And if you grow a lot of different types of clems, simplifying pruning is a big plus - it's either don't prune at all (type 1's - except to control size) or hard prune (all 2's and 3's). easy-peasy!!

I've learned that this is the 2nd year this puppy has been in the ground here. Does that change anything? Still prune back? Thanks so much! You guys are such a great resource!!!

No need to prune back now - just enjoy the show!! Pruning is best done in fall or in late winter, just before new growth emerges (as the buds swell).

What a beauty. Interesting 2-tone center I've not seen before.