MR Charlton, from Hartlepool, has a clematis that has grown up and over his garage, and flowers every summer.

The trouble is he cannot see the flowers as they are in his neighbour’s garden.

Can he cut it back down so that he can benefit from the flowers this year? He doesn’t know what type of clematis he has. Will this be a problem?

PRUNING any clematis can instill fear in even the most experienced of gardeners.

This fear is unwarranted though, as pruning simply comes down to a question of when your clematis blooms.

Basically, they are pruned to encourage new growth, which results in more flowers. No matter which type you have, flowering will diminish on all vines unless you prune. If left unpruned, the new growth is confined to the tops or ends of the vines and that is where your flowers will be (usually over your fence or garage into next door’s garden).

There are three categories of clematis for pruning purposes – spring, summer or autumn bloomers.

If you don’t know which your clematis falls into, or maybe even what type of clematis it is, watch the plant for a season and check when and how often it flowers.

Spring-blooming clematis flower on last year’s growth. Prune them back as soon as they finish flowering in the spring and they will have the whole season to put on new growth and set buds for next year. The most common in this category are the montana varieties. You can prune vigorous growers almost back to the ground if that suits your purpose, but it’s not necessary. If there is very old wood on the plant, avoid cutting into it, since it is less likely to resprout.

That’s another good reason to prune your vines regularly.

Summer and autumn bloomers flower on the current season’s growth.

I am guessing that this is what your clematis is. You don’t have to prune these at all, but they will continue to grow, probably becoming tangled into a mess, and flowering will eventually diminish. Pruning should be done either while dormant or when just coming out of dormancy, and can be done to about 12in from the soil, if necessary. This way, you and not your neighbour will get to appreciate the blooms.

Jobs this week

ONCE your hippeastrum has flowered, cut off the flower stems at the bulb’s base. Allow the foliage to keep growing for as long as possible to ensure that the bulb will produce plenty of flowers next year.

AS the days get longer, add a liquid feed to houseplants. If you are repotting plants, add granules of slow-release fertiliser to the compost.

LOOK out for the first of the beautiful magnolia flowers in your garden. Give young trees a thick layer of nutrient-rich mulch to help them get growing.

■ Brigid presents the BBC Tees Gardening show on Sundays from 1pm to 2pm. Questions can be answered on the day by emailing brigidpress@bbc.co.uk any time during the week, or texting 07786- 200995 and phoning 01642-225511 during the show. Written letters can be addressed to Lazy Dayz,10 Farm Road, Houghall, Durham, DH1 3SF.