Clematis Duchess of Albany

How pretty!

I planted this one in early spring and it has not done very well so your story has given me hope. I have been feeding it with Tomorite but I will now use Miracle Grow. It's so lovely I hope it flourishes. Thank you

Duchess of Albany has got going really strong this year, masses of flowers and a tangle of new shoots. It is over 2 years since mine was planted. A lot of shrubs need 3 years to really go for it. Clematis in my garden are slow starters Breda. My 2 more recent plantings are still reluctant. Maybe the Tomarite might be better. You need good leaf to foliar feed. My Perlargoniums have made huge flowers since I started foliar feeding and Heucheras thrive on it too. They both have large flat leaves. Penstemons like it too but it has to be frequent. My stiff fingers have improved since I started squeezing the trigger on the bottle. Instead of lugging heavy watering cans about I use 2 two litre plastic garden jugs from Tesco and get exercise walking around!!!!