Clematis Advent Bells

Berkley

I planted this evergreen clematis on a West-facing trellis three years ago. It has put on lots of healthy-looking foliage and I feed it regularly: growmore in Spring, liquid feeds in Summer and sulphate of potash at the end of October. But I have never had a single flower.....am I doing something wrong?

Fairygirl

How mature a plant was it, and is it in the ground?
They can take a while to be big/old enough to flower. 

It shouldn't need that amount of extra help, foodwise, either, unless there's something very wrong with your soil.

punkdoc

That particular Clematis requires, lots of sun, and is not 100% hardy [ I believe ]

Fairygirl

It's not one I'm familiar with @punkdoc, but I think a lot of these winter flowering ones need lots of sun, and also some shelter, so unless you can give that, they won't do very well. Nae chance for us then eh? 
I'm never sure they're totally evergreen either - unless it's in a more urban, sheltered location.

Whereabouts are you @Berkley?

Dovefromabove

@Fairygirl    I find C. 'Freckles' to be pretty tough ... mine is planted on  a trellis fence which forms a bin store at the front of our west-facing house ... next door's house and garage shade it from the south until mid afternoon for a large part of the year.  The front garden is at the foot of a north-facing slope which is a bit of a frost-pocket. Freckles also survived perfectly happily throughout the Beast from the East and at least 18" of snow for several weeks.   It is pretty much evergreen every year, and ever since it was about four years old it has been absolutely covered with blooms every winter, as well as intermittently through the summer months.
The only mollycoddling it gets is a bit of Clematis feed in the summer, if I remember, and occasionally I'll give it a good soaking if we get a very dry spell in the summer.
Through this winter it has been full of bluetits, longtailed tits, a dunnock, a wren and a robin. I can watch them from this seat in the sitting room 

Fairygirl

@Dovefromabove- I have to admit that I don't like the spotty ones, so I'm never tempted to buy them.  Considering I like Hellebores, it's a bit weird eh?

I do like the other early flowering types - alpinas etc. I particularly like the new one I got a couple of years ago - macropetala Lemon Dream.
They're really tough for my conditions, although I lost the koreana I got at the same time as LD, despite giving it what should have been a perfect spot. Too wet for it I expect. I have to shove them right up against fences, in raised beds and with other planting to keep them drier, but they're lovely plants.
I think we need to hear back from @Berkley to see what other info we can get 

Berkley

Thank you for your replies: this is planted in a border and was bought three year ago as a two-litre Thorncroft clematis (an excellent firm). I chose it because it was described as suitable for semi-shade. There’s not much sun around between December and February but the border does get some. We are based in Dorset. Perhaps it’s worth leaving it in for one more year - then replacing with Freckles, as suggested?

Dovefromabove

If Thorncroft think it's suitable for your spot then I'd be patient for a couple more years at least.  I have a high regard for Thorncroft.  

I'd give it a dose of Clematis or Rose fertiliser in April and talk to it nicely ...  fingers crossed it'll perform well for you as soon as it grows up 

Berkley

Thanks Dovefromabove. I rate Thorncrofts very highly so will give my Advent Bells another chance.