The Most Beautiful Clematis Are Polish!

By Julie Boudreau

A few months ago, I praised Russian lilacs. And, if, in my opinion, the most beautiful lilacs are Russian, the most beautiful clematis would be Polish! These fabulous clematis are the creations of a Warsaw Jesuit, Brother Stefan Franczak . Hybridized and grown in a climate very close to that of Canada, Brother Stefan’s clematis are interesting for the quality of their flowers, their abundance, the hardiness of the plants and their excellent resistance to diseases. In addition, some of them flower sustainably from June to September.  

A Few Words About the Creator of the Most Beautiful Clematis

Born in 1917 in south-central Poland, Brother Stefan, as he is commonly called, is the 12^th child of a family of 14. Having been raised on a farm, he studied agriculture and eventually became a teacher. In 1948, his religious vocation called him. He took up residence in a monastery in Warsaw where he was put in charge of the monastic gardens. Gradually the site opened to the public and Brother Stefan became responsible for its conversion into an ornamental garden. It was then that he became interested in the hybridization of clematis, but also daylilies and irises! We are in the 50s or 60s.

Gradually, he decorates the gardens with new creations, studying and observing them for a dozen years before judging them ready to be multiplied and sold. Another interesting fact about his clematis: they experienced real-life conditions before being commercialized! Until his death in 2009, Brother Stefan introduced more than 60 varieties of clematis to the market and some were introduced by other nursery growers after his death! His grand mission was to create brightly colored flowers with contrasting stamens. In many cases, he was completely successful! And even those who did not meet these initial criteria stood out for their beauty.  

Some Polish Clematis to Discover

On the Quebec market, you can barely find a handful of clematis cultivars hybridized by Brother Stefan. This is a shame because there are many varieties that deserve more attention.

‘Polish Spirit’ is often classified among the C. viticella hybrids because it resembles a clematis of this group. However, the parentage of most of Brother Stefan’s clematis being uncertain, it is difficult to confirm it beyond doubt. That said, it is an excellent strain that is very easy to grow. It looks like a ‘Jackmanii’ clematis, with its large dark purple flowers 3 inches (10 cm) in diameter. It is also a wide-spreading variety, reaching 12 feet (4 meters) in height. Its flowering is late, but often continues until autumn. Being a clematis in pruning group 3, it can be cut back to 8 inches (20 cm) from the ground each spring. It is one of the rare clematis recipients of an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.

‘Warszawska Nike’ is one of my personal favorites. The flowers are huge and an intense dark purple. They can reach up to 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter. The petals overlap each other, and the margin of the petals is slightly wavy. Even if it is a clematis of pruning group 3, which can be cut back to 8 inches (20 cm) from the ground each spring, flowering is quite early and can appear at the end of June. It is a medium-sized plant that will reach around 10 feet (3 meters) in height. She is also the recipient of an Award of Garden Merit.

‘Jan Pawel II’ was indeed named in homage to Pope John Paul II, who died in 2005. This variety bears large white flowers with light-pink stripes in the center of each petal. The stamens are dark red, which contrasts nicely with the flower. With good pruning, flowering begins in June and continues until September. It is a smaller variety, reaching between 8 and 10 feet (2.5 and 3 meters) in height. This variety is pruning group 2, which means it is pruned lightly in spring. In general, we prune about one meter from the ground.

‘Kardynal Wyszynski’ is probably the strain whose name is most damaged by all the rewrites! The “K”s become “Cs”, the “Ys” become “Is” and the “Ss” disappear! Regardless, this variety was named in homage to a Polish cardinal who opposed the post-war communist regime. This variety bears large, dark magenta, almost red flowers. Flowering is particularly generous and prolonged. It is a smaller plant, hovering around 8 feet (2.5 m) in height. We prune it lightly in spring because it is in pruning group 2.

Successfully growing clematis

You may have the best clematis in the world in your garden, but to obtain generous flowering, you still must respect a few rules. First, you need a minimum of six hours of sunlight to obtain beautiful flowering. Then, the soil at the base of the clematis must be cool. This is why we often recommend applying a generous layer of mulch to their feet. Finally, the roots of clematis being superficial and fragile, we should avoid hoeing the soil around the plants. You will find a host of articles on the Laidback gardener blog that cover clematis care and pruning techniques in more detail.  

(Almost) Complete List of Clematis Hybridized by Brother Stefan

As mentioned previously, almost sixty varieties of clematis have been hybridized by Brother Stefan. And we can say that the man was a fervent Polish nationalist, but also, probably, a feminist. Indeed, most names attributed to his creations pay tribute to women who have distinguished themselves through their exploits. There are also names that refer to the different invasions and wars that took place in Poland. And finally, some cultivar names are simply feminine given names. Here is a small list of cultivars created by Brother Stefan with, in parentheses, the date of registration of the variety. For the curious and passionate, this list can represent a great opportunity for a treasure hunt.

• ‘Ada Sari’ (1994)
• ‘Agnieszka’ (1996)
• ‘Aleksandra’ (1993)
• ‘Ania’ (1980)
• ‘Anna Karolina’ (1992)
• ‘Baltyk’ (1970)
• ‘Beata’ (1978)
• ‘Blekitny Aniol’ (1987) also called ‘Blue Angel’
• ‘Bozena’ (1996)
• ‘Czarna Madonna’ (1980), also called ‘Black Madonna’
• ‘Danuta’ (1996)
• ‘Dominika’ (1972)
• ‘Dorota’ (1978)
• ‘Dunaj’ (1984)
• ‘Emilia Plater’ (1967), in honor of a Polish national heroine
• ‘Ewa Franczak’ (1988), in honor of his niece.
• ‘Fryderyk Chopin’ (1994), in honor of the composer and pianist
• ‘Gabriela’ (1996)
• ‘Gizela’ (1993)
• ‘Honorata’ (1996)
• ‘Izabela’ (1979)
• ‘Izydor’ (1997)
• ‘Jadwiga Teresa’ (1965)
• ‘Jagienka’ (1996)
• ‘Jan Pawel II’ (1980), also called ‘John Paul II’
• ‘Jolanta’ (1993)
• ‘Justnya’ (1994)
• ‘Kacper’ (1970), also called ‘Caspar’
• ‘Kalina’ (1978)
• ‘Kardynal Wyszynski’ (1974), in honor of a prominent figure in the Polish Church
• ‘Karolina Kozka’, in honor of a heroine of the First World War
• ‘Kasia’ (1996)
• ‘Kiepura’ (1996)
• ‘Kryspina’ (1992)
• ‘Kujawiak’ (1996)
• ‘Lidia’ (1992), in honor of a river in Poland
• ‘Ludmila’ (1996)
• ‘Magda’ (2009), introduced after his death
• ‘Marcelina’ (1997), in honor of a river in Poland
• ‘Marta’ (1996)
• ‘Matka Siedliska’ (1970), in honor of a prominent figure in the Polish Church
• ‘Matka Teresa’ (1989), also called ‘Mother Theresa’
• ‘Matka Urszula Led’ (1980), also called ‘Matka Urszula Leduchowska’, in honor of a prominent figure in the Polish Church
• ‘Moniuszko’ (1996)
• ‘Monte Cassino’ (1975), in honor of a historic WWII battle
• ‘Nina’ (1980)
• ‘Perla Baltyku’ (1996)
• ‘Piotr Skarga’ (1988), in honor of a Polish personality
• ‘Polish Spirit’ (1984)
• ‘Regina’ (1996)
• ‘Rozalia’ (1972), in honor of a river in Poland
• ‘Sabina’ (1996)
• ‘Serafina’ (2000)
• ‘Siostra Faustyna’ (1996), in honor of a prominent figure in the Polish Church
• ‘Sonia’ (1996)
• ‘Swieta Monika’ (1994)
• ‘Sympatia’ (1978)
• ‘Syrena’ (1969), the mermaid being the emblem of Warsaw
• ‘Telimena’ (1996)
• ‘Wanda Rutkiewicz’ (1993), in honor of a Polish mountaineer, third woman to climb Everest
• ‘Warszawska Nike’ (1966), also called ‘ Midnight Showers ‘, in honor of a monument honoring the heroes of World War II
• ‘Warszawska Olga’ (2004)
• ‘Westerplatte’ (1994), in honor of a historic battle in World War II. It is a variety that is often among the favorites of clematis lovers.

Before concluding, I will add two other clematis from this region, but which were not hybridized by Brother Stefan. The ‘Niobe’ variety has dark red, almost brown flowers. It’s also a Polish variety, this time hybridized by Wladyslaw Noll and introduced in 1970. Then, another personal favorite of mine is the adorable ‘Piilu’, an Estonian variety developed by Uno Kivistik. The latter has countless small pink and white flowers with nicely wavy petals. In short, as with Russian lilacs, as soon as the name of the variety has Ks, Ys and Zs, we make it take the plunge into the shopping basket!