Why does my Clematis Huldine only flower at the top?

[JennyChawleigh]

I planted a clematis Huldine at the foot of an apple tree about 6 years ago. It climbs through the tree beautifully but only produces flowers at the top - they've just appeared this year. I've fed it, I cut it right back every year as recommended in Pruning Group 3, - what am I doing wrong? I don't have a problem with any of my other clematis.

The lower parts of it will be shaded by the tree's branches and leaves, so maybe it waits until it gets to the top and flowers when it gets there.

It's a variety that exhibits strong apical dominance (tendency to flower at the top and suppress flowering lower down), so you need to try and counter this habit. Cutting it hard back in Feb/Mar - which you say you do - is part of this, but you can also pinch out the top of new shoots when they reach about 30 cm to make it branch out and then train it if not horizontally then diagonally in a kind of criss cross pattern.