Care of balloon wine and beautiful tendrils

Climbing plants are very popular in the garden and they are planted for a variety of purposes. Perennial climbing plants such as ivy, vine or various roses are popular. But annual climbing plants are also very popular, because their growth performance is amazing in their short lifespan.

For the garden lover there is the possibility of a different design of his garden, since he can always set new accents with the different annual plants. Where today the ornamental pumpkin or sweet pea can be admired, tomorrow the place can be taken by the beautiful tendril or the balloon wine.

selection of plants

The decision has been made and the balloon wine should be planted with the beautiful tendril. These true growth miracles should protect the seating area from prying eyes and redesign it with their beautiful appearance. But how do these plants have to be raised and cared for?

Sowing the beautiful tendril

The Eccremocarpus scaber, better known as Beautiful Vine, is sown indoors from late February to early March. The temperature should be around 18 °C so that the seedlings can develop well. They should also be pricked out early so that they can be transplanted outdoors as strong plants in late May. If you want to sow the beautiful tendril directly, you should wait until the day temperature is 18 °C, then the seed will germinate within two weeks. When planting out as wall greening, a distance of 1 to 1.5 m should be maintained, as the plant develops several individual shoots that need space to grow. A latticed climbing aid is best, then the plant can develop well as a privacy screen.

location of the plant

The location for the beautiful tendril should be warm and sunny. Protected south or south-west locations are preferred. This is where the plant can best develop its full beauty, while it will not grow properly in drafty, cold locations. The soil should be loose, permeable and rich in nutrients. You should water the plants regularly and loosen the soil. You can also give some fertilizer during the flowering period, so that the colorful flowers with the decorative and doubly pinnate leaves can develop very nicely. Due to the numerous shoots, it will quickly enchant pergolas or fences into a colorful wall. If the plant feels good, it will thank you with a growth height of three to four meters.

blossom and bloom

The flowering period begins as early as late May to early June. However, the bloom lasts until the first frost. The tubular bulbous buds grow in loose clusters that are 10 to 15 cm long, while each individual floret is between 2 and 3 cm long. Beautiful tendrils come in a variety of colors, ranging from pure yellow to bright orange to warm purple.

When winter comes

Cultivation is then usually over for the plant at the end of October, because the beautiful tendril is not hardy. However, if you have kept them in a bucket, you can overwinter the beautiful tendril in a frost-free and bright room or you have to sow them again every spring. However, if you live in a climatically preferred area, such as in wine-growing areas, the beautiful tendril can also overwinter outdoors. However, the plant should be cut back to 0.5m and covered with foliage to protect the roots and shoots. In its South American homeland, the beautiful tendril is a perennial plant. That's why it can succeed and hibernate outdoors.

For many insects, the beautiful tendril is the Garden of Eden and they are permanent guests all summer long. Bees, bumblebees and a whole variety of different butterflies visit the colorful flowers of the vine and they also delight the garden owners with their presence. The balloon wine also benefits from the insects and they provide a rich blessing of flowers.

Sowing the balloon wine

Sowing takes place here in February and March. You lay approx. 3 seeds in a pot and keep it warm, because balloon wine does not need a temperature of 20 - 22 °C. After about three weeks, the young plants can be pricked out and hardened at 14 - 16 °C. Only after the ice saints should the plants be planted on the spot. A sunny, warm and wind-protected place is suitable as a location. The soil should be humus and loose.

growth and use

Since the balloon vine is also intended to green fences, terraces or pergolas, you have to know that it needs a planting distance of 50 cm. It does not branch as much as the beautiful tendril, but it also grows approx. 3m high. The balloon vine cannot grow upwards on its own, it needs a trellis.

The flowers of the balloon wine

The flowers of the plant are rather inconspicuous and pale green in color. However, it impresses with its fruits, which are about four to five centimeters in size. They have the shape of a balloon and give the plant its name. The small flowers appear from July and new flowers will continue to appear until autumn. The fruits contain the seeds, small spherical black seeds. There is a white heart-shaped spot on this seed ball. As a result, the plant also got the German name "Herzsame".

similarities

Both plants, the beautiful tendril and the balloon vine, need the same care, a humus-rich and permeable soil and they tolerate a light maintenance cut. This means that only withered leaves or branches are cut back. In this way, the plants are not stressed and are not damaged. In summer, regular watering should not be forgotten. In addition to loosening the soil, small amounts of fertilizer should not be forgotten. These gifts should be discontinued by August at the latest. Diseases are not known from either plant species. Both types of plants do not require intensive care and are easy to cultivate.

Worth knowing about balloon wine shortly

• Balloon wine impresses with its striking fruits: they are 4-5 cm in size, light green and shaped like a balloon.
• The plant grows up to three meters high and likes a warm, sunny, sheltered spot with humus-rich soil.
• Balloon wine is relatively easy to grow yourself from seeds.
• It can be grown indoors from February or sown directly in the desired spot in the garden from April.
• However, its seeds need a temperature of around 20 °C to germinate.
• When sowing outdoors, you may have to wait a little longer until the ground is frost-free again. With balloon wine, you put two or three seeds in a pot or bowl. into the bed and cover them with a centimeter of soil.
• If a longer fence or a house wall is to be greened with the plant, a distance of about 50 cm between the seeding points is optimal.
• Young plants that have been grown indoors are best planted out in the garden at a distance of half a meter after the ice saints in mid-May.
• The balloon wine is an annual and must therefore be sown again every spring. Its interesting flowers form from July until autumn.

Worth knowing about ornamental gourds shortly

• From July to September, the ornamental gourd adorns itself with mighty, funnel-shaped, yellow flowers.
• They have a diameter of 5 to 10 cm. From this develop numerous extremely decorative fruits.
• The strong-growing ornamental gourds with their 10 to 20 cm leaves can be used very well as a fast-growing privacy screen.
• The plants reach a height of up to 5 m; however, since they have a large root space, they are less suitable for growing in pots.

Worth knowing about Schönranke shortly

With its colorful flowers and decorative, bipinnate leaves, it is one of the loveliest annual climbers.

• It quickly forms numerous shoots with leaves that are not too dense.
• The leaves end in delicate tendrils that the plant uses to cling to.
• It only grows to a height of 3 to 4 meters in warm and sunny locations.
• There are varieties with yellow, red and pink flowers.

However, some seed manufacturers also offer mixtures of different varieties that can be used to make a pergola or a house wall very colorful.

• The flowering period of the beautiful tendril begins in June and lasts until the first frost.
• However, the plant is not hardy, so it can only overwinter as a container plant in a frost-free room.
• Otherwise, it is best re-sown every spring.
• The beautiful tendril can be grown in pots from February or sown directly in the garden at the beginning of spring.
• Your seeds need a temperature of around 18°C ​​and will germinate within two weeks.

Worth knowing about sweet peas shortly

• Sweet pea is one of the most well-known climbing plants and a prized summer cut flower.
• With many varieties, a few flower stalks are enough to fill an entire apartment with fragrance.
• The color palette of the flowers that appear from June is wide: blue, violet, white, pink and red in many shades, up to multicolored variants.
• Fruits reminiscent of pea pods develop from the flowers.
• However, if you want to enjoy the bloom and scent of flowers well into autumn, you should cut off everything that has faded before the fruit starts to form.
• Sweet peas grow up to 1.50 meters high in sheltered and sunny places.

More climbing plants than Safety protection on the balcony and terrace are: Gloxinia morning glory, morning glory and bell vine.

Learn more about shrubs