Garden and Flowers

In just a few years, this perennial Mexican climber has become very popular among a small group of enthusiasts. They sow it every year to enable them to see it in flower from July until well into October. An aubergine-colored corolla resembling a gnome’s cap is suspended from a small inverted pink bowl, the calyx, which continues to adorn the plant long after the corolla has been dispersed. Inside the calyx, a spherical fruit full of small brown seeds is formed. Each one is covered by a membrane that is easily blown away by the wind. The seeds may be sown the following year, but after that will quickly lose their capacity to germinate. It takes about four months to grow flowering plants from seed.

Professional growers start work on them in winter, but it is better for amateurs to entrust the seed to the earth in March-April. The seed germinates at room temperature, after which seedlings are grown on in slightly cooler conditions. By early June, they may be put out-of-doors in a sheltered, sunny position, preferably in a large pot. Provide each plant with a support to enable it to climb to 3-10 ft, depending on the height of the support and the quality of the summer. The plants may be overwintered in a frost-free place, but it is hardly worthwhile.

Rhodochiton atrosanguineus is also known as Rhodochiton volubilis meaning purple bells in the vernacular, and in the UK it is sometimes colloquially known as the Black Man’s Willy due to its appearance. It climbs to circa 3 metres with a 3 metre spread, and has down-covered, heart-shaped leaves, often with purple veining. The rosey-purple, bell-shaped, flowers are produced in early to mid-summer. The bell is formed by five fused sepals while the petals form the tubular purple-black, protruding centre. It flowers annually outdoors with flowers sustaining over a long period in suitable conditions, such that it can be perennial in a conservatory.