Cup And Saucer Vine

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32381, 21 August 1970, Page 8

Cup And Saucer Vine

If you would like to have ai quick growing almost rampant but very attractive! climbing plant which flowers in its first year why not tryj Cobaea scandens, the cup and saucer vine? 1

i| Known also as cathedral i ■ ! bells, this highly ornamental I ■lMexican native, one of a j ; genus of ten species all hailjing from tropical America, is , I more often regarded as an j annual although if grown in 1

a warm sheltered spot it can be treated as a half-hardy perennial. The vigorous vines do not need any support providing there is some sort of a backing behind the plant as the leaf tendrils will cling to almost anything. As much as 20 feet of growth can be expected under ideal . warm conditions. The solitary flowers are . borne from mid-summer until the advent of frost; they are solitary, bell shaped, on long penduncles bracted at tile base, greenish purple in colour. There is also a white flowered form. Large plum-shaped fruits may supersede the blooms, which are useful for floral work. Less common is a variegated form aureo marginata, the leaves of which are variega-l ted yellow.

The seed should be sown in spring in warm, moist but well drained soil as it rots easily in a cold wet medium. Before sowing, the seed coat should be scored with a knife to assist in more rapid germination and the seed should be placed on edge in the soil. Avoid too rich a soil

as this can lead to luxuriant foliage at the expense of good blooms.