Inspiration: Climbing Plants

Climbing plants are very elegant. They often grow very quickly and bloom beautifully. Among climbers, we can find both indoor and outdoor species, with climbing annuals being frequently cultivated. They can beautify or cover unsightly posts or poles, and when planted in a planter, they can easily transform into trailing plants.

Cup and Saucer Vine

Cup and saucer vine (Cobaea scandens), sometimes also known as cathedral bells or Mexican ivy, is a vigorously growing annual with unusual flowers. If you're looking for a plant that will cover an entire pergola or fence within a few weeks, you've found it - the vine grows up to 5 m tall by summer and begins to bloom with beautiful bell-shaped flowers in cream or deep blue colors. It continues blooming from June until the first frosty autumn days.

Seeds germinate very easily and should be sown in advance indoors. We start sowing as early as April, using smaller pots right away - a seed tray isn't very suitable given the vine's vigorous growth. Place a stick or other support next to the seeds immediately. Around mid-May, when night frosts stop, we transplant the seedlings outside - either directly into the ground or into a large container.

The sunnier the location we choose for the plant, the more flowers will bloom. The plants need to be provided with support - a trellis, pergola, fence, or at least several stakes. Due to its rapid growth and large leaf area, the vine requires generous watering and fertilizing, for example with Kristalon (initially use Kristalon Start, later Fruit and Flower) or other fertilizer for flowering plants.

In our conditions, the vine is grown only as an annual, but with overwintering in a frost-free room, it can last several years. However, due to its rapid growth and space requirements, this is usually not done. It propagates very easily from seeds.

Due to its high nutrient requirements, we recommend growing the vine in vegetable substrate - it contains enough nutrients for rapid plant development.

Passion Flower

Passion flowers are popular, very unusual plants. They captivate primarily with their exotic flowers. These climbing vines cling to supports with long twisted tendrils. There are countless species with variously colored and shaped flowers, with perhaps only light blue missing from the color palette. During summer, we can keep passion flowers on the balcony, but in winter they must be protected from frost.

Black-eyed Susan Vine

You probably know this plant better by its common name - black-eyed Susan. Black-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia alata) is a climbing annual suitable mainly for planters and containers. It attracts attention with its yellow-orange flowers with a black center. It reaches heights of up to 2 m and is excellent as a decoration in planters equipped with support or (if we don't provide support) as a trailing plant.

Choose a very sunny location for it, with moderate watering intensity. The soil should be neutral or slightly alkaline, with sufficient calcium and nutrients. This annual is quite undemanding and reliably produces abundant flowers. It blooms from June to September.

Morning Glory

Morning glory is a plant with many names - we encounter the synonym common morning glory and several Latin names: Ipomoea purpurea, Convolvulus purpureus, Pharbitis purpurea and others. It is a plant from the bindweed family, and indeed - with its appearance, this charming climbing plant resembles bindweed, but it is much larger.

Morning glory is an annual, during its growing season it can grow up to 3 metres. It is therefore suitable both for larger containers and for trellises, fences or pergolas. It blooms with funnel-shaped flowers about 6 cm in size in all white, blue and purple shades. There are also cultivars that bloom red, but purple and white are the most natural colours for them, and cultivars with these colours are the most vital and bloom best.

Morning glory is not demanding regarding soil type or watering, but it appreciates plenty of sunshine. It blooms from June to October.

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Written by Eliška Kadlecová