Clematis: Question about pruning Jackmanii now, 0 by revclaus

revclaus wrote:
I'm in zone 5b or 6a, this year it's 6a. All my gardening is in containers, but I grow a variety of perennials, including four clematises. I've had my jackmanii for several years, but in the fall and winter of 2005 it dried out pretty well because I was sick and couldn't tend to my plants. Many died. But I pruned the jackmanii the next February to about 8-10". It did passably well in 2006. So in February last year I pruned down to 8-10" once again. This year I didn't prune at all. Do you think it's okay to prune now? I've got quite a few buds on different stems, some about ready to leaf out. My question is should I prune it now?