I really can't figure it out. For a few years I pruned it all the way down to the ground in late winter/early spring because it looked dried up to me, only to get no bloom as the plant had to grow all the way back from the ground up.

Last year I read that I was doing it all wrong and that I should only prune sparsely at the tips because it blooms on old wood, and Nature will take care of the rest; so I let it be this season.

The plant grew leaves and buds towards the top, so now I am finally about to get flowers (I got none in the past). However I am disappointed that leaves and buds are only at the top and the rest of the plant is bare with the exception of a new shoot that is coming up from the ground.

I noticed a small part of the vine at the top that did not grow any leaves or buds so I figured that must really be a truly dried up one, so I cut it off. Then a part of the leaves and buds at the top began to wilt, which means I must have cut something alive.

It looks like no matter what I do, I can't win.

How can I get this Clematis to actually be covered in leaves and bloom like a normal clematis? I will add a picture below.