I grew this vine (Eccremocarpus scaber) from seeds for the very first time this year, and I guess I must be doing something wrong because it sure seems like the most delicate, useless plant I've ever tried to grow.

They've gotten about 2-3 feet tall, but there's just one really skinny, fragile stem on each vine with only a few airy leaves and lots of teeny tiny tendrils reaching out to grab the trellis it's growing on. I just can't imagine it ever getting very big or blooming very much. Does it need to be pinched to promote bushiness?

The Dave's Garden website says it's a tender perennial, so will it even bloom the first year at all?

Sure seems like a big waste of time and space to me.

I don't know where you live/garden, but if your climate is conducive to growing Chilean Glory Vine, just be patient. In my yard, it is rather delicate and starts of slowly (it reseeds & may come back from some sort of storage root/bulb) but once the weather warms up, away it goes! Yes, it should bloom the first season. I love this vine!

Patrick
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

I grew it from seed last year when we really didn't get high tmps all summer. It laid around 87 all suummer. The vine did grow and bloom, but it was definitely 'spindly' and not so appealing to the eye. Here's a pic did get witha hummer in attendance.



Pam
Matawan,NJ 6B

If you do a search here for this plant, you'll find several threads started by Martin in Vancouver... he has great success with this vine. It does seem to be very finnicky about growing conditions. The year that I had success with it, I just happened to find a mature plant in a one gallon container at a local nursery. I collected hundreds of seeds. All of my seedlings germinated the following year, but none of them made it to bloom... apparently, my thumbs aren't green enough and my patience is a little too short for this plant

If you can figure out the right formula for growing it in your neck of the woods, it's worth the effort... the hummingbirds here loved it...













Bud
Southwest Ohio
USDA Plant Zone 6a

Camera: Pentax K20D
Lens: Pentax DA*300 f/4, Sigma 180 f/3.5 Macro
There's 1 or 2 more hummingbird / butterfly pics located here...
http://www.pbase.com/budohio

My experience with this vine is limited, so far. But it seems better grown en masse rather than just 1 or 2 vines. Martin gave me my seeds & our climates are very similar, so it looks like this vine likes "warm" but not "hot"...maybe it's well suited to warm by day & cool by night - the typical Pacific Northwest summer season.

My volunteer seedlings came up pretty early, then just sat there...tiny plants with a few leaves and no "vine". Now that we've had a few warm days, they're starting to vine. I'm anxious to watch their performance, as these are the first plants to grow from a direct-seeded scenario (I started my previous vines indoors & transplanted them).

Patrick
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

Started indoors they will bloom all summer, most years here they don't die back to the ground and start blooming in May, if they die back to the ground they can be blooming by the end of June.

Your plants can easily grow another ten feet this year, don't pinch them just give them something to climb on, feed them and watch the hummers.

Grow lots of them, some sun but not too hot, don't let them dry out and not too wet, they really like our west coast weather.




Martin
--
Vancouver Island, zone 8B
Nikon D70/D200 300 f4 af-s, 400 2.8 af-i
www.frogpondphotography.com
www.frogpondphotography.blogspot.com

Beautiful photos, Bud.
I have just planted some seeds so hopefully, they will germinate, this time....

I live near Seattle. Have had success with this plant - in containers. But it needs to be in FULL SUN, well drained, or at least don't over water if in a container. I tried to grow in partial sun, and the vines were spindly and barely produced flowers. I also saved seeds and have had success planting the seeds starting in February. Then moving the sprouts to outside on a warm day, then back in the house if temps are going to be below 38 degrees. Ideally would plant in the ground, my neighbor has, and her plant over-wintered just fine. Hummingbirds LOVE this plant! Next to Salvia (variety called Hot Lips) this is their favorite flower.

My few vines from last year lived thru the Winter...even kept a few green leaves. I have some blooms open & the hummers have been seen feeding from them. I have some seeds sprouted (baggy method) and ready to pot up for a new, bigger supply of vines this year. My humms really do like them.

Patrick
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

Blast from the past!!


Pam
Matawan,NJ 7a