Clematis 'Blekitny Aniol'

Clematis 'Blekitny Aniol', known in its native Polish as 'Błękitny Anioł' ("Blue Angel"), was raised in 1987 by Brother Stefan Franczak and introduced in 1988 under the trade designation BLUE ANGEL. The monk, who originally worked in the monastery kitchen, went on to develop numerous internationally renowned clematis varieties in the monastery garden near Warsaw over several decades. The 8 to 10 cm flowers display a delicate, shifting pale blue: depending on the light, they appear violet-blue, almost pale pink, or, under overcast skies, a clear sky blue. The gently wavy, crimped sepals with their satin sheen taper to a point, while the cream-yellow stamens at the centre add a warm accent.

From July to September, 'Blekitny Aniol' produces flowers in great abundance – a reliable, long-flowering variety. Growing to around 250 cm, it is ideally suited to fences, trellises, obelisks, and pergolas; it also makes an excellent companion for roses or for growing through shrubs. It thrives in a sufficiently large container too, provided there is enough root space and water. The variety is remarkably undemanding when it comes to position: sun, partial shade, almost any aspect is tolerated. As with most clematis, however, the root area should be kept cool and shaded, for example with low companion planting or a layer of mulch.

'Blekitny Aniol' is reliably hardy (Zone 5, -28.8 to -23.4 °C) and copes well even with harsher German winters. As a Pruning Group 3 variety, it is cut back hard to around 25 cm above the ground in March – this encourages bushy growth and abundant flowering on the new wood. The variety is considered exceptionally easy to grow and forgiving of gardening mistakes, making it especially recommended for beginners. Awarded a gold medal at Plantarium in 1992 and the RHS Award of Garden Merit, 'Blekitny Aniol' has been one of the most popular and proven blue-flowering clematis worldwide for decades.