There are 3 groups of clematis and if you’re not sure what you have, I would wait it out: 1 and 2 bloom on the old growth so leave them alone except to tidy them up. Group 2 needs another pruning after they bloom the first round and they will rebloom (these are hybrids). When removing the dead stuff, you can gently pull it off or cut it back. Group 3 is NEW growth so it’s best to take them down to the ground. so they don’t look like a tangled mess. For those familiar with macrophylla/big leaf hy