Clematis prefer to have their roots in the shade, and if they are planted on the north side of a low wall or trellis frame, they will soon climb their way towards the sunshine to produce some beautiful blooms.
If you are planting clematis against a south or west wall, try to shade their bases in some way, either by planting a low shrub close to them or by laying a large flat stone over the base of the plant. As clematis are one of the best climbers to have in your garden, they do need support. This can be in the form of a wooden trellis, a wire frame or even an old dead tree. Their curly long tendrils just love to spread and hold on to something which is immediately available. Clematis grows wonderfully in between other climbers too.
Clematis do have an habit of dying off, and most of the time this is through no fault of the gardener, but don't despair, with a little perseverance, clematis can be the most glorious flower in the garden.
Pruning Clematis
Some varieties of clematis need pruning to ensure that their showy mass of flowers come back every year. The patens and florida groups of clematis need to be pruned immediately after flowering, this is easily done by cutting back the stems which have recently flowered, down to a pair of buds.
The jackmanii and viticella groups of clematis need to be pruned in February. The old growths of both of these types need to be cut close to the base of the previous year's growth. The texensis group of clematis should be cut back to live wood.
The lanuginosa group may be pruned after flowering to ensure they flower in spring, in the same way as the florida or patens group, or it may be cut back hard in the same way as the jackmanii and viticella groups to induce summer flowering.
 
Recommended varieties of clematis:
Clematis armandii: An evergreen clematis with green leathery leaves which has a profusion of white flowers in April.
Clematis flammula: A deciduous clematis which bears an abundance of small fragrant white flowers from August through to October. Clematis flammula does need to be pruned back hard every February.
Clematis montana rubens: Another deciduous specimen that boasts a mass of rosy-pink coloured flowers in May.
The patens group of clematis flower in May and June and include the following varieties: Barbara Jackman, Edouard Desfosse and Nelly Moser.
The florida group of clematis include varieties such as the Belle of Woking, the Countess of Lovelace and the Duchess of Edinburgh.
The jackmanii group include the Comtesse de Bouchaud, Ville de Lyon and the Gipsy Queen.
The viticella group, which flower from July to September include Ascotiensis, Ernest Markham and Lady Betty Balfour.
The lanuginosa group include such specimens as the Beauty of Richmond, Lady Northcliffe and W.E. Gladstone.
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Growing Clematis 
