Pruning summer flowering jasmine

Question

My son has inherited a garden with an old summer flowering jasmine. The bottom half is thick woody stems with no leaves & they are twisted in & out of each other. The top half is leafy, has flowers at the moment and is covering the top half of a wall/fence. Once it’s finished flowering, should I cut it back hard into the old wood & risk new growth or just prune back to where the fresh growth starts? To be honest the bottom half is bare & not very attractive to look at! Would it be better to cut back to the ground and re-plant?
Sue Ellis, Oxford
PS. I’m sorry I didn’t take a photo…..

Answer 1

Most flowering vines lose their bottom leaves when the leaves on the bottom don’t get sunlight. Cut back to around 12 inches in late fall. When the new leaves come back, make sure to thin out the vine so it doesn’t block the bottom part of the plant from the sun.