Other Names:  Glory Bower, Clerodendrum thompsoniae

Description:

A wonderful vine or running shrub that climbs by twining; from early winter to late spring it is covered with stunning deep red flowers surrounded by white calyces; does not tolerate frost, but is root hardy to zone 9; great for indoors as well

Ornamental Features

Bleeding Heart Vine is blanketed in stunning clusters of dark red hooded flowers with white calyces along the branches from late winter to late spring. It has green deciduous foliage. The oval leaves do not develop any appreciable fall color.

Landscape Attributes

Bleeding Heart Vine is a multi-stemmed deciduous woody vine with a twining and trailing habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This woody vine will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Bleeding Heart Vine is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Bleeding Heart Vine will grow to be about 12 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 30 inches. As a climbing vine, it tends to be leggy near the base and should be underplanted with low-growing facer plants. It should be planted near a fence, trellis or other landscape structure where it can be trained to grow upwards on it, or allowed to trail off a retaining wall or slope. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This woody vine does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America.

Bleeding Heart Vine makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.