Description
Cobaea scandens Violet & White
Polemoniaceae Cobaea scandens/f.alba
The perfect plant as a follow on from Sweet Peas, giving you a wall of flowers all the way into December!
This is my special Cobaea scandens blend, flowers of both antique Violet & White. Also known as cup and saucer vine.
Technically a tender perennial, seeds take a little longer to germinate and grow than true annuals. As they are also tender, starting them in late Winter means they will be ready for planting just as the Sweet Peas are looking tired making a great follow on crop!
You can try and fight the mildew on the Sweet Peas, or you can switch one vine for another. The fresh Cobaea leaves are beautiful, arranged along a central stem, they look like feathers (these are called pinnate leaves). Curly tendrils cling and climb, so no tying in is required.
Once established Cobaea will continue to produce fresh stems and flowers.
No tying in is required. These plants are accomplished climbers!
Suitable for growing in containers
How to grow:
Cobaea are very easy, however don’t start plants too early. Native to Mexico and central America where temperatures are tropical, they are tender. They need to be kept frost free. Treat them as you would dahlias. Otherwise, plants can take over your sitting room, climbing up the curtains, losing vigour and becoming very weak. For success all plants need a good solid start.
Sowing:
In late winter sow 1 – 2 seeds in a 9cm pot and gently cover with compost and water in. Seeds are tolerant of being pricked out. For space saving early on, you can sow two or more seeds to a pot. Pot on separately in a few weeks’ time.
Warmth aids germination, place on a warm windowsill indoors, or if you are using a heat mat in the greenhouse, set it to 18-20°c. Use fleece on cold nights to trap the heat around the leaves.
Cobaea is unfussy and will grow in all soil conditions providing they are in Sun and well drained.
As a follow-on crop:
If you are growing plants to replace the Sweet pea’s, simply pot on as required until you are ready to swap out the Sweet Peas.
Within an afternoon we can change the Sweet Pea bed and frame over to Cobaea ready for fresh foliage and flowers. Once planted they will fly up the supports in no time.
This also gives you an excuse to cut ALL the remaining Sweet pea flowers and enjoy indoors without feeling guilty!
For more detailed growing instructions join our ‘Grow-A-Long’ and for busy gardeners you can now plan ahead with our Grow-A-Long Handbooks
Details:
Variety: Polemoniaceae Cobaea scandens
Type: Tender Perennial (evergreen) grown as an annual
Position: Full sun
Sow: Late Winter/early Spring
Harvest: July onwards, before then very attractive foliage
Seeds per packet: 20 seeds
Flowers have surprisingly long stems which are great to cluster together in a vase or add to your floral displays.
Cut flowers as soon as they open, ideally before they get pollenated by the bees. All flowers last longer if they are not yet pollenated and are allowed to open in the vase slowly.
In the gallery I have used a simple thin vase with only Cobaea!
Deadheading will encourage more flowers, however we have found that you can just leave them to do their thing and we don’t bother deadheading. So long as you are happy with the amount of flowers coming through you can simply let the seed pods emerge when the are ready to add to the architectural display!
