Clematis x heracleifolia ‘Stanislaus’ I AM STANISLAUS - Clématite

The Clematis ‘Stanislaus’, sold under the name I AM STANISLAUS, is a herbaceous clematis quite different from climbing varieties. It forms a large, upright clump and flowers in clusters of small, light blue, bell-shaped blooms, lightly fragrant, with curled-back tips. Its late summer flowering is invaluable in perennial borders and at the base of shrubs. Very hardy, this plant dies back completely in winter, then regrows from the stump in spring.

This variety belongs to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) and the Heracleifolia Group, which brings together perennial clematis, shrubby or herbaceous, generally unable to cling to a support. Wim Snoeijer selected it in the Netherlands in 1996; the J. van Zoest nursery introduced it to the market and registered it in 2004. Its name pays homage to Stanislav Hočevar, then Archbishop of Belgrade. Unlike a climbing clematis, ‘Stanislaus’ does not twine around branches or attach itself by the leaf stalks. Its stems arise each year from the stump, reach 1.30 to 1.60 m and may splay under the weight of the flowers. They flop less when weaving through the lower branches of a shrub or when supported by a few discreet stakes. The deciduous foliage, dark green, is composed of leaves divided into five irregularly toothed leaflets. The branched inflorescences form on the current year's shoots, from July to September. Each flower measures 2.5 to 3 cm in diameter. Initially tubular, then campanulate, it has four floral parts, deep blue at the tip, paler towards the middle and almost white at the base. These curl back strongly over time, revealing white stamens with cream anthers. The flowering emits a light fragrance, noticeable especially when several flowers are open. The vegetation dries as winter approaches, while the stump remains dormant underground. This clematis withstands frosts below -20 °C in well-drained soil. It proves less durable, however, in constantly dry or waterlogged soil.

In a large border, the clematis I am Stanislaus can lean on the old rose ‘Felicia’, whose silvery-pink, slightly apricot-tinged clusters bloom for much of the summer. Astrantia major ‘Roma’ will fill the foreground, alongside Phlox paniculata ‘Graf Zeppelin’ with white flowers marked by a carmine-pink eye. It can also be paired with the clematis ‘Mrs Robert Brydon’, which resembles it. Its very pale lavender, almost white-centred small flowers differ sufficiently from those of ‘Stanislaus’, while its long stems spread more widely. It should therefore be planted at some distance and allowed to carpet the ground between large shrubs. All these plants enjoy humus-rich, fertile soil that remains moist in summer.