Plant Library

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. Its oval leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Bleeding Heart Vine is a multi-stemmed perennial vine with a twining and trailing habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best cut back to the ground in late winter before active growth resumes. 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 should either 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. Although it is technically a woody plant, this plant can be expected to behave as a perennial in our climate if planted outdoors over the winter, usually regrowing from its base (crown) the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. 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 is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting 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 growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, this plant may be too tender to survive the winter if left outdoors in a container. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.