Lapagerla Rosea

In full summer flower, this is one of the most beautiful of all vines, almost too glorious to be believable. The leathery, oval-pointed, four-inch leaves make a substantial background to set off dangling, bell-shaped flowers of richest rose with flaring and overlapping petals like a skirt-on-skirt. When flowering finishes in fall or winter, the foliage remains luxuriant and the stems are slim and graceful. No praise is too lavish for this stem-twining tropical evergreen.

Where the growing season is long enough so the late summer and early fall flowers won’t be nipped by frost, this is something special to use as an accent plant in outdoor containers. Try it outdoors in summer anyway, if you have a cool greenhouse or sun room it can occupy for the winter. It is hardy outdoors only in very warm climates, where it is one of the most handsome plants in the landscape. Its height is moderate for such a lush-looking vine – an average fifteen feet. Light spring pruning is all that’s needed to keep it in good shape.

The lapageria needs sunlight, but not the hottest of midsummer; cool, humid air and frequent misting; loose, well-drained soil with an extra ration of peat or other humus, kept always moist. Some growers recommend a light application of lime each fall; in England it’s recommended for lime-free soil. I know of one vine that blooms bountifully in a greenhouse tub, in soil that tests quite acid.

Propagate by spring-sown seeds germinated over heat; stem cuttings of semihard wood; and layering sturdy shoots during summer or early fall.

There is a white-flowering variety, albiflora, and one with crimson flowers, superba.

Family: Liliaceae
Common Name: Chilean Bellflower, Chile Bells

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