Limousin, France

Silly clematis question, no. 1001: My clematis (Ville de Lyon) is beginning despite a rather late and drastic but essential prune last week, to shoot up the trellis again (thank goodness). Is it now that I should feed it? With tomato feed, half strength, is that right? It has loads of flowering honesty barring immediate access to it (and presumably sheltering its base from sun) Do I aim the stuff (without a rose on the can) in between them? Will it do any good if so? I'd be reluctant to remove the honesty, pain though their seedlings can be... but I seem to have read somewhere that you shouldn't direct fertilizer straight at a plant but rather sprinkle it round it?

Thanks for your help - you can tell that I'm the kind of gardener who's hitherto made her flowers try to survive on a teaspoonful of gruel if anything and probably rarely that! But this is the first clematis that has survived me (so far) and I'd hate to kill it, with or without kindness....

• 21 Apr, 2013