Having dug out a mature armandii myself, I know firsthand what kind of ordeal that was! These vines develop huge root systems and getting enough of the root system to establish new growth when transplanting is hard to do. Plus, I am a little confused about what the vine looks like after pruning. Is there any foliage on the vine or is it all bare wood? The last concern is the time of year you are attempting this project - now is the least desirable time. While anything is possible with a healthy clemmie, I'd say you are looking at low odds for this transplant. The only other thing I might suggest is to dose it with a liquid root stimulator.......and keep your fingers crossed :-))

Jeanne TX suggests transplanting in the spring. If you do a search on transplanting clematis you will find many threads. There is a search box at the bottom of the discussion page and also info in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Here in z: 4 I transplant in the fall as well as the spring and summer. Haven't lost one from transplanting because I can keep them watered and shaded until they are established. In warmer areas I read that people winter over clematis in pots by placing them next to the house and putting leaves around the pot. Here I sink the pot in the ground which protects the roots. You can search for over wintering clematis in pots to see what those in your zone say. One thing about transplanting clematis, they have very large root balls and if you don't get all the roots you may find the original plant coming back next spring. I have had that happen with Huldine twice. Here is a link that might be useful: transplanting clematis This post was edited by mnwsgal on Tue, Aug 26, 14 at 12:38

Fall is the best time to do this. But since your foundation work is ready to be started, I guess you have to get going now. First determine the location to where the plant is to be moved. Then dig a hole at least 18 inches in diameter and two feet deep at that location. Amend the hole with compost etc. Then hard prune the plant leaving only about 24 inches of the vine. Start digging a good eighteen inches from the crown. You will have to dig about 2 feet deep as well. Without breaking too many roots etc. pull the plant out and then transfer to the new location. Keep it watered and make sure it doesn't get dried out in the Texas summer. Depending on how old & healthy the plant is, the root ball could be enormous. So keep that in mind when you start to dig. Goodluck with the move!

The pruning guidelines revolve around flowering time. If you know when exactly your vine blooms, you can make informed assumptions about how to prune without even being able to identify the species or cultivar!! Type 1's are the no prune or prune immediately after flowering vines. These are very early flowering vines (typically late winter to early spring) that flower on old growth and are almost always species clematis. Type 2's are light pruning vines. This category includes nearly all of the large flowered hybrids, with bloom times from mid spring through late summer. These vines tend to bloom on both old and new growth, which is why many will have a later but lighter repeat flowering. Type 3's are late flowering vines, blooming from midsummer into fall. These bloom on growth produced the current season and are very often quite large vines when mature. They can (and usually should) be hard pruned as Bab's described. I tend to simplify pruning by limiting it to those I prune hard and those I don't prune at all. So all type 1's get NO pruning unless they simply outgrow their space (then prune immediately after the flowering) and ALL others get hard pruned at some point during the winter months, as new growth begin early in my area. If you don't get around to pruning in a very timely manner (weather, etc.), do not be afraid to do so later than what is advised :-) When I had my big garden with scores of different clems, I sometimes missed pruning all when I should and often cut back vines with a lot of new growth showing, sometimes even with tiny flower buds present. If the plant is not dormant, pruning will actually stimulate new growth and the vine will respond by pushing a lot of new growth and buds. It may just bloom slightly later than typical. FWIW, commercial growers prune their vines back repeatedly during the growing season just for ease of care (reduces tangling, etc.) and the vines (2's and 3's) will still produce flowers.