Clematis of the Month for May 2019
described by Fiona Woolfenden
This month is Chelsea month when, in the UK, the Royal Horticultural Society of Great Britain holds the world’s most prestigious flower show. So what better clematis to start the month off with than its namesake!
Clematis ‘Evipo100’ CHELSEA™ has actually a small modest flower, pretty rather than spectacular. It’s only 8-10 cm (3-4 inches) across with 6, 7 or perhaps 8 tepals as in the photo above. The colour is a blueish white, also described as a violet white, which fades slightly in the sun as you can see in the last photo below.
The veins are nicely marked down the centre of the tepal and then towards the edges giving a wavy or crinkly effect. The shape of the individual tepals is egg shaped, being broader at the base, and they overlap to give the impression of a round flower. The centre has a nice central boss of yellow stamens which lifts the whole effect of the flower.
The most interesting attribute of C. ‘Evipo100’ CHELSEA™ is that it a very low growing clematis. If you are looking for a clematis to grow in a pot so you can look down on it, then this could be the clematis for you. As you can see in the picture above, the effect is quite charming and this is only the first year in this pot, though I think that this was a three year old plant when I acquired it.
C. ‘Evipo100’ CHELSEA™ from the side 
C. ‘Evipo100’ CHELSEA™ in June, a few weeks later
Its height is said to be 30-60 cm or possibly 60-90 cm (1-2 or 2-3 feet). The pot is 45 cm (15 inches) tall and about 30 cm (12 inches) across. As you can see from the first photo taken at the start of Chelsea week 2018, the flowers were initially held above the pot. A few weeks later in the middle of June, the stems were starting to spill over the sides, but they did not quite reach the ground. Overall it gave me a good display that I was pleased with.
This year I have buds on the plant but no flowers as yet. I hope to have flowers for Chelsea week again this year and I will post on the Society FaceBook page when I do!
You may ask about the name and yes, there is a connection between RHS Chelsea and the plant. C. ‘Evipo100’ CHELSEA™ was bred by Raymond Evison, a Chelsea exhibiter and multiple Chelsea gold medal winner, and named to mark the centenary in 2013 of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, London every year. The plant was actually introduced by Raymond at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2013.
Fiona Woolfenden