Eccremocarpus Scaber

Semihardy tendril climber with graceful, feathery leaflets and six-inch trusses of tubular flowers in golden yellow, carmine, or scarlet, from summer into fall. In favorable climates it can climb to twelve feet in one season, and sets seed readily – small green pods that gradually inflate, turn brown, ripen, and split into three twisted sections. How you grow it depends on the length of your growing season. It can be treated as an annual where it can have a full five months to mature and flower (seeds can be started indoors in February). Or plant seeds in late summer, and winter the seedlings in a hotbed or cool greenhouse. In temperate areas where there is some frost, it can be killed to the ground in winter and grow back freely again in spring.

This is a beautiful vine for many decorative garden effects, and a splendid prospect for the container gardener. It resents root disturbance, so set pots outside in late spring for July flowering, and bring them in again for cool storage over winter. Its foliage is clean and glossy, the flower clusters spectacular. It needs a sturdy support.

Prune and train carefully so the fast-growing stems will not choke each other. Where the vine grows perennially, prune severely in late fall or early spring to lighten the effect and encourage fine new growth. Provide full sun except in hot, dry climates; well-drained, humus-rich soil; constant moisture at the roots. If soil is acid, sweeten with lime; and fertilize liberally. Propagation is usually by seeds, although stem cuttings and layering are also suitable.

Family: Bignoniaceae
Common Name: Glory Flower

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