Clematis 'Innocent Blush'

Clematis of the Month for December 2021

described by Brigitte Niemela

The romantic flowers of C. 'Innocent Blush' in a bouquet

Clematis 'Innocent Blush‘ – a new Polish variety

The double flowers in a delicate shade have a special charm

Clematis 'Innocent Blush' is a relatively recent addition by Polish breeder Szczepan Marczyński. It was introduced in 2012 and is gaining a lot of fans.

The flowers have a very special charm. With its delicate color and unusual flower shape, C. 'Innocent Blush' is particularly suitable for romantic gardens. Despite these exquisite flowers, the plant is easy to care for. Due to its moderate height it is suitable for smaller gardens and for planting in pots.

Growth and flowering

The first flowers open in May

According to the breeder, it grows up to 2.0 meters tall. It has been in my garden for four years now and reaches a height of about 140 cm (55 inches). But I think it will get a little larger.

The first flowers appear in May. New flowers are formed well into June. If you prune the plant after first flowering, a few more flowers will be formed in late summer. Interestingly, you can find double, half double and single flowers at the same time.

The coloring of flowers varies between soft pink ....

... and greenish white

The unfurling of flowers is a very special spectacle. When it begins I always keep walking into my garden to admire the development. The outer layer of tepals opens first. The inner tepals stand together in tight knot. Then they open up in a dome shape so that you think you have a dahlia flower in front of you. There is more, and the dome flattens out again. When fully opened, the yellow-creamy stamens are visible and flowers are visited by pollinators. At the beginning the flowers show hues of pink and green. The color shades change through the duration of flowering and also depends somewhat on temperature. When the flowers fade, they are white with a bit of green. At 10 to 12 cm (4 to 5 inches) diameter, the flowers are mid-sized. The cone-shaped bud stands upright.

At first only the outer layer of tepals opens. The inner tepals form a ball.

Pruning and care

As an early large flowered clematis, C. 'Innocent Blush' is in pruning group 2. It should be pruned by one third in late winter or early spring. If you keep on dead−heading faded flowers, you will get more flowers in late summer.

In my experience, C. 'Innocent Blush' needs good feeding to produce lots of its lush flowers. After a first dose of fertilizer in spring, I supply the plants with liquid fertilizer every two weeks from the beginning of June to the end of July.

The green rib on the reverse is also visible on the upper side of the tepals

Garden design ideas

Natural style: the matching colors of an Euphorbia

The subtle colored flowers don't want flashy partners beneath them. The light green and airy flowers of Alchemilla or Euphorbia are perfect partners. However keep sufficient distance, because these plants can spread and disrupt the root system of the clematis.

Due to its moderate height C. 'Innocent Blush' is well suited to cover the bare legs of a climbing rose. Any soft colored rose will be nice.

C. 'Innocent Blush' will give a good contrast to a dark background. For example, a planting site in front of a dark green Yew hedge will highlight the extraordinary beauty of its flowers.

In summary, this medium−sized plant is very appropriate for small gardens and also for planting in a container.

C. 'Innocent Blush' covering the lower part of a climbing rose

Brigitte Niemela

[Editor's note: If you've enjoyed this CotM by Brigitte Niemela, you may like to visit her website. Click on the image to your right or visit https://clematisworld.de/ The site is in German, but most browsers offer good automatic translation facilities should you wish. Brigitte covers other garden plants as well as clematis, and all are illustrated beautifully.]