22:15 This climbing plant can be trained up a trellis or around a hoop, or allowed to trail from a hanging basket or raised pot. It can also be kept bushy by regularly pinching off the tips of shoots.
The deep green ovate leaves are attractively veined, but the plant’s chief glory is the striking red-and-white flowers, which consist of a white lantern shaped calyx from which the bright scarlet blooms with prominent stamens emerge. The flowers are produced from spring to fall in clusters at the ends of the stems. Clerodendrum thomsoniae ‘Variegatum,’ with marbled green leaves, is sometimes available. FACT FILE
ORIGIN Tropical West Africa.
HEIGHT To 8ft/2.4m.
POTTING MIX Soil-based.
REPOTTING When the potting mix is filled with roots, move to a pot one size larger in spring; top-dress when maximum convenient pot size is reached. PROPAGATION Take stem cuttings in late spring, pot in a mixture of equal parts of coarse sand and peat moss; move to a soil-based mix after 3-4 months. KEEPING PLANTS Prune in spring, just as the plant is starting into growth. Cut back the stems by about half to keep it at a manageable size indoors.
Clerodendrum Thomsoniae Verbenaceae BLEEDING HEART VINE PLANT CARE
- Bright light is required for good flowering but protect from direct sunlight.
- Moderate warmth during the growing season, but keep warm (620-85°F/170-29°C) in winter.
- Keep the soil moist throughout the flowering season; water sparingly in the winter rest period.
- Mist frequently with tepid water from springtime onward.
- Apply standard liquid fertilizer every 2 weeks during the growing season.
- The striking red-and-white flowers are produced most freely in warm, humid conditions.
- Pinch off the shoot tips occasionally to keep the plant neat.
- The plant flowers best when slightly pot-bound.
- The twining stems can be trained up supports or left to trail from a hanging basket.
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