Clematis: ClematisGuru's 2009 Hardwick Hall Clematis Garden, 1 by ClematisGuru

ClematisGuru wrote:
ville de lyon is pushing the season by opening a few of her thousands of buds. this is my most floriferous, oldest clem in the garden in place of pride right next to the garage door, visible from front of house. a really reliable and easy clem. i do hard prune this clem every other year after blooming and it comes back for an impressive second round. this year will be a hard prune for it in july. the alternate year i try and deadhead as much as i can and take a few vines down by half their height in july. this has worked well for this clem, in the spring i just clean up broken or damaged vines and take the top foot or two off some of them.

dawn, you mentioned your mom having a guernsey cream....i never prune the guernseys. i did hard prune one after blooming last year and it came back with a few blooms in a second round but it is still regaining size, vigor and did not bloom a lot this spring. it is the clem i clean up the least of any.