Polish Spirit Clematis Plants

About Clematis 'Polish Spirit':

Clematis viticella 'Polish Spirit' is lovely vigorous clematis that will quickly grow to cover trellises and frames.

From summer through to autumn it is smothered in rich deep violet, velvety blooms, with paler bars along the midrib. The large stamens are a pale lime green which show beautifully in contrast. These are followed by attractive spidery seedheads.

Browse our other Clematis plants here.

Great for your garden:

Polish Spirit is a wonderful choice for growing over larger frames such as pergolas and trellises. It can work beautifully when paired with other flowering climbers such as roses.

As part of the viticella family of Clematis it is particularly tough and hardy and copes well with more exposed and windy conditions. Being a vigorous variety means it's a good choice for growing up through larger trees.

It has been awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit due to its fantastic performance in the garden.

'Polish Spirit' characteristics.

• Flower colour: Deep violet
• Flower shape: Large, single, open star
• Fragrance: Mild scent
• Approximate flowering season: July to September
• Final height and spread: 4m x 1m
• Pruning group: 3
• RHS Award of Garden Merit
  
  

Look out for:

Viticella Clematis are renowned for being particularly hardy, and 'Polish Spirit' has a good resistance to Clematis wilt.

As with all Clematis caterpillars, earwigs and aphids may cause problems. Remove by hand where possible, and spray if infestations persist.

Slime flux can occasionally be a problem. Damaged stems can be infected by the bacteria causing a bad smelling ooze from the affected area. Affected material should be cut back to a healthy shoot, destroy affected growth.

Trivia:

'Polish Spirit' was bred by Brother Stephan Franczak (1917-2009) of Poland in the mid 1980's, and introduced to the UK by The Guernsey Clematis Nursery, which is managed by Raymond Evison. The Polish word for Clematis is powojnik. 

Brother Stephan Franczak became a Jesuit monk in 1948 and joined a monastery in Warsaw. He was given the task of looking after the fruit and vegetable garden where he discovered a particular fondness for Clematis and Irises.

He began selecting new breeds of Clematis that he had grown from seeds collected from his plants at the monastery, and went on to breed around 67 named cultivars.

Images supplied by Clematis on the Web.

How to grow Clematis viticella 'Polish Spirit':