A packet of seeds is still one of the best bargains around and you can germinate, grow and flower this tropical vine - the cup-and-saucer vine Cobaea scandens - in a single season, although in its native tropical America it grows as a perennial. In the UK you can grow it outside against a sunny wall, but it flowers more reliably in a conservatory, where it will quickly climb to the roof, clinging on with slender tendrils.
It's pollinated by bats and at dusk - at about the time that bats would emerge - the flowers emit a musty scen that attracts them. The bats visit for nectar but as they probe the flower those protruding stamens dust their furry chests with pollen that they transport from plant to plant. Cobaea pollen grains have an extraordinarily beautiful pattern of hexagons and pores on their surface when viewed under the microscope.
Pancrace Bessa, Flore des Jardiniers, 1836
Phil, I grew this last Summer. I'd seen photos of it in gardening magazines and loved the form of the flower so I was determined to try it it. I certainly wasn't disappointed.... it climbed up the wall and on to the roof! All the flowers were high up though and the best view of them was from the bedroom windows. :O) It looked like it was going to be there forever until, eventually, strong Autumn winds blew it off the wall. I've got some more seedlings coming up now and will grow it again.... especially now that you've said that bats pollinate it. :) We have lots of bats round here and we love to watch them swooping about.
ReplyDeleteDo British bats ever pollinate flowers?
ReplyDeleteHi Lesley and Pat,they're only pollinated by bats in their native habitat - all British bat species are insect feeders. Bat pollination of flowers is a tropical pollination syndrome (sadly).
ReplyDeleteOh well, never mind. It's still a lovely climber well worth growing. :)
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI've ordered some seeds. I've never really grown anything from seed before - could you give me a step by step idiot proof guide to growing the plants?
Many Thanks,
Sue
Hi Sue, It might be best to wait until spring to sow the seeds (if you are here in the UK) but when you do sow them in a seed compost,water them then cover them with a thin layer of compost - just a few millimetres, enough to cover the seeds. They'll germinate quite quickly - in about a week- if they are somewhere warm, especially if you enclose the pot in a polythene bag. Once they germinate and produce their first pair of true leaves pot then up singly in a potting compost - don't leave a lot of seedlings in a pot together for too long or you'll find it hard to separate them without damaging them. They'll grow quickly in a greenhouse, conservatory or warm windowsill and begin to climb, using their tendrils, so you'll have to keep repotting into larger pots and adding longer canes - the plants easily reach about 2 metres. You can grow them outside if you have a sheltered south-facing wall but they'll flower faster indoors - this year mine, sown in March, flowered in August in my conservatory. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHello Phil,
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for the advice.
I shall follow it to the letter and let you know!
I want to grow the plants outside - I have a s.s.w facing London garden that I'm replanting, so need some quick cover - a trellis and a fire escape.
Shall I sew early spring? Please could you give me an approximate date?
Kind Regards, Sue
Hi Sue, A friend in London tells me he's seen Cobaea scandens flowering well outside in summer, and if you have a sunning wall that should suit it fine. I'd sow in early March, ready to plant out as soon as the seedlings begin to climb up canes. I hope they perform for you - looking forward to bulletins on progress! Kind regards,Phil
ReplyDeleteMine grew well enough this year, but no sign of flower buds until three weeks ago - the frost saw them off though! Grew them every year up until five years ago, when for some reason we just got out of the habit. Will try again next year and hope for more sun!
ReplyDeleteMine raced away this year too Keith, but were very late flowering outside - the one that did best was trained up a south-facing wall in a very sheltered spot. To get them to flower well outdoors I certainly think they need a good summer - in my locality, at least..
ReplyDeleteI started from sowing seeds in March, put it it out end of May, and it budded and flowered (one)
ReplyDeletein the Autumn, with 3 more buds that didn't flower before the cold weather killed it.
So, I'm going to start mine in January, and giving them a head start indoors until May. Hopefully I will have good news and photos.
Hi Huei, I've found that you need to get them growing really early in the year to be sure of a decent crop of flowers.... If they are protected from frost they will grow and flower better in their second year...
ReplyDeleteWell, 5 of the 8 seeds have germinated, and I've just moved them into bigger pots. Still on the window sill - I'll wait till they start climbing before I plant them out.
ReplyDeleteWatch this space!
Hi Sue,Always an exciting moment! Once they begin to produce tendrils they should start to climb pretty quickly.
ReplyDeleteHello Phil,
ReplyDeleteIt's been fantastic watching them come to life. The seeds are big, as I'm sure you know, and the new plants have the remnants of the seed cases on the end of the first leaves. I'm resisting pulling them off; a bit like picking at a scab... Can't wait for the tendrils!
You guys have a very interesting website which I discovered by googling Cobaea scandens. I just received some seeds of Cobaea scandens which lucky for me were not confiscated by customs. I live in the Republic of Panama at an altitude of 1400 meters. The climate is cool and misty most of the year with a short dry season. The native vegetation would be what they call cloud forest although now it is mostly dairy farms. It never frosts but we never get hot summer weather either. This is a great place to retire for those interested in gardening with the main disadvantage being that if you want unusual seeds and plants it is sometimes difficult to import them. Anyhow I am going to plant my seeds inside until they get big enough to set out. We are getting very heavy rains every afternoon so the seeds could get washed out if I plant them outside.
ReplyDeleteRobert Bruce Gillies
Volcan, Chiriqui
Panama
Hi Robert, Thanks for the kind comment and good luck with your seeds. Even if you have a short growing season I guess they'll probably flower in the second year if you can over-winter the plants in frost-free conditions. All the best, Phil
ReplyDelete