Cobaea Scandens Cup and Saucer Vine
CUP-AND-SAUCER VINE
Although the cup-and-saucer vine appeals greatly to the imagination, it is rarely to be seen in gardens. The seeds of this perennial climber from the mountains of Mexico should be sown indoors as early as February-March. Even so, it will not start flowering until July, and the plants do not really grow much until August-September. With vines rising from the leaf base, they climb to a considerable height and bear a profusion of flowers, 2 in wide. The flowers develop from green-tinged, cream-colored buds. They are light at first and exude a somewhat musky scent. It is not until they gradually change color and turn an increasingly deep shade of violet that the fragrance changes to that of honey.
In our part of the world, the cup-and-saucer vine is nearly always grown as an annual. Keep the seedlings moist, but not wet, while they are indoors. After the last frost, they should be planted directly in the garden next to a trellis, pergola, or other support, or in a large container with a support next to it. If planted in the ground, the plant will rarely need extra food and water (except in the poorest of well-drained soils). If the plant is grown in a pot or other container, success will depend on the provision of extra food and a lot of water during the growing period. In the absence of an upright support, the cup-and-saucer vine will cover a large area of the garden with creeping shoots. The flowers will then rise up out of that green mat. Cobaea scandens ‘Blue’ is the normal, violet-flowered species; Cobaea scandens ‘Alba’ bears white bell-shaped flowers with green calyces.
