Returned to Clematis after a difficult first attempt

My first attempt at Clematis failed — slow establishment in the first season before taking off got hold of it and I didn't know what I was looking at until it was too late. I left it alone for a year before trying again.

The second attempt, with proper attention to feeding with a high-potassium fertiliser in summer to encourage flowering, has been completely different. It's now thriving in a trellis panel as a garden divider and dramatic seasonal transformations from bare stems to full cover is on full display. bare structure in winter revealing the interesting stem framework this year was a genuine reward for starting again. If you failed first time, the plant isn't the problem — the conditions probably were.