Clematis 'Moniuszko'

Clematis 'Moniuszko', raised by Polish breeder Stefan Franczak before 1996, is named after the composer Stanisław Moniuszko (1819–1872), regarded as the father of Polish national opera. Its large flowers glow in velvety dark violet-blue: eight slightly wavy, pointed tepals overlap and, together with the cream filaments and violet anthers, create a striking contrast. At 10 to 15 cm across, 'Moniuszko' is one of the classic large-flowered cultivars of the Patens group.

'Moniuszko' flowers first in June and produces a second flush from July to August. At around 300 cm, this vigorous climber is well suited to trellises, obelisks and other supports in larger gardens. It thrives in full sun to partial shade — it's important to keep the roots cool and shaded, for example with groundcover planting or a mulch layer.

'Moniuszko' is reliably winter-hardy (zone 6, down to about -23.3 to -17.8 °C) and copes well even in colder locations. For vigorous growth and abundant flowering, cut the plant back to about 100 cm in June. Give it some time to establish — then it will unfold its full flowering splendour year after year.