How to Grow Firecracker Vine: Propagation Tips and How It Differs from Trumpet Vine
Firecracker vine blooms in strings upon strings, just like firecrackers, neatly arranged firecrackers, which is how it got the name firecracker vine. So what is the growing method for firecracker vine? How do you propagate it? And how does it differ from trumpet vine? Firecracker vine growing method: choosing potting soil and flower pots
Firecracker vine blooms in strings upon strings, just like firecrackers, neatly arranged firecrackers, which is how it got the name firecracker vine. So what is the growing method for firecracker vine? How do you propagate it? And how does it differ from trumpet vine?
Firecracker vine growing method:
1. Choosing potting soil and flower pots
Firecracker vine grows quickly with lush branches and leaves. For the growing medium, it is best to use mountain soil; of course, you can also use leaf mold or peat soil as the main component, mixed with some compost soil and a small amount of bone meal. Choose a large, deep cylindrical clay pot for planting (repotting will probably take a great deal of effort).
2. Reasonable watering
Firecracker vine likes moist soil, so during the growing season it is best to keep the potting soil consistently moist. In dry seasons and hot summers, you also need to spray water on the branches and leaves 2-3 times a day and sprinkle water on the ground around the flower pot to increase air humidity. In autumn, when it enters the flower bud differentiation stage, watering should be reduced, just keeping the potting soil slightly moist.
3. Fertilizing
During the peak growing season, apply dilute cake fertilizer water about once every half month. After autumn begins, fertilizing should focus mainly on phosphorus fertilizer, and compound fertilizer can also be applied.
During the growing season, generally apply a dilute liquid fertilizer combining nitrogen and phosphorus once every 2 weeks or so. During the bud stage, apply 1-2 quick-acting liquid fertilizers mainly based on phosphorus fertilizer; after the flowers fade, apply 1 liquid fertilizer mainly based on nitrogen fertilizer to promote flowering and plant growth.
4. Support and climbing
Firecracker vine needs to climb as it grows. The plant grows very quickly, so a support should be set up in time. When growing on a balcony, you can use thick iron wire and relatively thick bamboo poles to build a frame of a certain shape, and guide its stems and vines onto the flower trellis (shape it however you like).
When in bloom, the strings of vivid flowers hang all over the trellis surface, deeply loved by people.
Drawback: firecracker vine is not cold-tolerant. In northern regions, after winter begins it needs to be moved indoors to overwinter.
5. Planting
In the south it can be grown in open ground; in northern regions it needs to be potted and moved indoors to overwinter in winter.
For potting, you can use a growing medium mixed evenly from leaf mold, compost soil and sand, plus a small amount of cake fertilizer powder as base fertilizer.
6. Watering
Water according to the principle of "dry-wet alternation"; never let water accumulate in the pot. During the bud and flowering stages, watering should be appropriately increased.
In summer, when temperatures are high, watering must be sufficient, and at the same time water should be sprinkled on the ground near the flower pot to increase air humidity. In autumn, it begins to enter the flower bud differentiation stage; at this time watering should be appropriately reduced in order to control vegetative growth and promote flower bud differentiation.
7. Temperature and light
Firecracker vine is not cold-tolerant. In northern regions, after winter begins it needs to be moved indoors to overwinter. During overwintering, place it in a spot indoors with ample sunlight, control watering and stop fertilizing, and keep the room temperature above 10°C. Generally, from mid-to-late December, the room temperature needs to be gradually raised, along with moderate watering and fertilizing; by February to March it can form buds and bloom.
Firecracker vine propagation methods:
1. Layering propagation
Firecracker vine can be propagated by layering. Using vines that touch the ground, wound the bark at the leaf axils and cover with soil. This can be done in spring, autumn or summer, with summer being the most suitable.
After 20-30 days roots will form, and after a month and a half cut it off as a new plant, which can bloom in the same year. It is mostly grown as a potted plant; of course, you can also layer directly into a container.
2. Cutting propagation
For firecracker vine cuttings, choose healthy, pest-free branches, preferably about 10 cm long. Each cutting needs 3-4 nodes and 2 buds. Cut 0.5 cm below a node to encourage rooting.
After inserting, press the base of the cutting lightly with your fingers so that the base fits closely with the medium, then water thoroughly with a fine watering can.
Afterward, spray water on the leaves once every 1-2 days to keep them moist. After 3 weeks, if the stems and leaves have not shriveled and remain tender green, it means the cut has healed well and roots have formed. After about another 10 days, it can be transplanted into a pot.
Note: newly potted seedlings need to be watered thoroughly and kept in a semi-shaded spot for care.
Differences between firecracker vine and trumpet vine:
Firecracker vine leaves are smooth and glossy with a long pointed tip, while trumpet vine leaves are serrated. The flower clusters of firecracker vine and trumpet vine also differ quite a lot, with great differences in both shape and color tone!
Other names for firecracker vine:
Firecracker flower, yellow eel vine, Buddleja officinalis, etc. Its flowers look like strings of firecrackers, and the flowering period is from January to June
That is all for the firecracker vine growing method. Why not hurry and get one for your home? The fragrance is very strong.
Moonflower Calonyction aculeatum (Linn.) House Moonflower illustrated guide: how to grow moonflower / how to propagate moonflower
Moonflower profileMoonflower Calonyction aculeatum (Linn.) House
Moonflower growing methods and precautions, introduction to moonflower
Moonflower belongs to the genus Calonyction in the Convolvulaceae family. It is an annual twining herb that can reach 10 m in length. It is introduced and cultivated in many parts of China, relatively commonly. It likes ample sunlight and warmth, is not cold-tolerant, and freezes to death when frost or cold occurs. It is not demanding about soil. Moonflower is native to tropical America.
Xiyan, also known as Chang'e Flying to the Moon (Yunnan), Tianqie'er, Tianqiezi, and moonflower, is a plant in the genus Ipomoea of the Convolvulaceae family. It is native to the tropical and temperate regions of the New World, including the entire territory of South America, Central America, Mexico and Florida in the United States. It is distributed throughout the tropics, tropical America, and in China's Guangxi, Shaanxi, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Yunnan, Guangdong, Sichuan, Jiangsu and other places. It often grows in the wild, and has now been widely cultivated artificially. The white flowers of moonflower resemble a full moon, large and beautiful, and because they open at night, it got its name.
Morphological characteristics of moonflower
Moonflower is an annual, large twining herb, up to 10 m long, with milky sap. The stem is green, cylindrical, nearly smooth or more or less with soft prickles. The leaves are ovate, 10-20 cm long, with a long acute or acuminate tip, a heart-shaped base, entire or slightly angled or lobed.
The flowers are large, opening at night, fragrant, 1 to several arranged in a raceme, sometimes the rachis is zigzag; sepals ovate, green, with long awns, the 3 outer sepals 5-12 mm long (excluding awns), the awns relatively long, the inner sepals 7-15 mm long (excluding awns), the awns shorter or absent; the corolla is large, snow-white, extremely beautiful, with a pale green band in the middle of the limb, the tube 7-12 cm long, about 5 mm wide, the upper part of the tube not expanded or slightly expanded, the limb shallowly 5-rounded-lobed, spreading, 7-12 cm in diameter; the style and stamens protrude beyond the corolla; stamens 5, filaments cylindrical, inserted on the tube, anthers large, arrow-shaped at the base, pale yellow; the disk is ring-shaped, thick, fleshy; the ovary is long-conical; the style is cylindrical, white; the stigma is large, 2-globose.
The capsule of moonflower is ovate, about 3 cm long, with a sharp pointed tip, surrounded at the base by enlarged sepals, and the fruit stalk is thick.
Moonflower seeds are large, hairless, about 1 cm long and 7-8 mm wide, yellow-white, brown or black. The flowering period is August to October, and the fruiting period is September to November.
Ecological habits of moonflower
Moonflower likes ample sunlight and warmth, is not cold-tolerant, and freezes to death when frost or cold occurs. It is not demanding about soil, and grows well under sunny and moist conditions. Large seedlings are not tolerant of transplanting.
Moonflower is introduced and cultivated in many parts of China, relatively commonly.
Cultivation techniques and management methods for moonflower
Seedbed management
Water appropriately; it must not become waterlogged; control rodent damage and insect pests: phoxim or trichlorfon mixed with wheat bran (poison bait) can be used; weed in time and spray foliar fertilizer; when true leaves grow to 3-4, begin pinching the growing tip to prevent leggy growth; the suitable seedbed temperature is 25-28°C, not lower than 15°C at night.
Generally the seedling age is 35-40 days, and seedlings are hardened off 5-7 days before planting;
Timely transplanting
(1) Dig large holes. Before transplanting, dig holes of 20 cm x 20 cm, with a plant spacing of 1.3-1.6 m, keeping about 80-100 plants per mu, and apply 5-7.5 kg of farmyard manure and 100-250 g of chemical fertilizer (diammonium phosphate, potassium fertilizer and magnesium powder in a ratio of 3:1:1) per hole as base fertilizer.
(2) Manual transplanting. Before transplanting, water the nutrient bags thoroughly, transplant the seedlings into the holes, cover with soil, and water thoroughly. At the same time, cover with plastic film and cut holes to let the seedlings out. Double-film transplanting can also be chosen, that is, adding an arched film cover after transplanting;
Field management
(1) Manual weeding and timely control of pests and diseases.
(2) In combination with topdressing, level the empty ridges and spread straw. Use about 1 kg of rice straw or wheat straw per sq m to prevent weed infestation. When the main vine grows to about 50 cm, preferably in combination with irrigation, apply 100-250 g of urea per plant as topdressing. Do not place the topdressing too close to the main root, to prevent root burn. Do not let urea scatter on the leaf surface, to prevent leaf burn.
(3) Directing vines, pinching tips, removing branches, and hand pollination. Directing vines: keep two main vines per plant. Lay both main vines horizontally on the empty ridges, and earth up once to fix their direction. Pinching tips: for the first-order branches, when they grow to 3 leaves, begin pinching the tips; watch for and pinch off second- and third-order branches; pinch the tips of the main vines after August 23. Hand pollination: generally for sweet gourd, remove branches and pinch tips every morning, and begin pollination at 16:00; after End of Heat, pollination can be stopped; generally two main vines bear 6-8 gourds;
Harvesting
From early August, harvesting begins gradually, that is, when the first crop of gourds grows to about 7-9 kg. In principle, harvest one day, and the next day first peel off the gourd skin, then cut the gourd into strips; from August to September, basically in September when the gourd has grown to an almost white color and the hairs on the surface are gone, but it is still relatively heavy, it can be picked; otherwise, if the vine has withered and yellowed, the gourd may fall and be damaged. After picking, it still needs to be air-dried, and in this way you can get a bumper harvest of fruit.
Moonflower growing methods and planting methods
1. Choosing the previous crop and preparing the land
Choose flat land and low-lying land with good drainage and fertile soil, as well as hilly land with irrigation conditions. Avoid continuous cropping or alternating cropping with watermelon and other cucurbits. Land preparation: make ridges when the soil is moist, and press in time to preserve soil moisture. The transplanting ridges are long-mouth ridges. The ridge width is 9-13 cm; the 7-8 empty ridges in between should also be ridged to help eliminate weeds;
2. Seed soaking and sprouting
The variety chosen is Japanese green-skin gourd. Soak the seeds in warm water at 40°C for 12-24 hours. After removing, wrap them in gauze and shake dry, and crack open the soaked sweet gourd seeds. Use a wooden trough or an ordinary basin, line it with a layer of disinfected sawdust or sand, then line it with a layer of gauze, place the soaked seeds evenly on the gauze, cover with a wrung-out new towel, cover with a pot lid, and cover with a cotton quilt to sprout. Use a new brush broom to sprinkle water twice a day. The sprouting temperature is generally 25-28°C. Pick out the sprouted seeds every day, place them in another basin, and keep them in a cool place indoors to control sprout growth;
3. Sowing in the seedbed
① Seedbed preparation
Place 8-10 cm of horse manure or chopped grass at the bottom of the seedbed, spread a layer of soil on top, and tread it level. At the same time, disinfect with 70% dexon wettable powder at 0.3-0.6 g/sq m, and cover with a shed. After sowing the seeds, cover the seedbed with a small shed.
② Nutrient soil preparation
Choose soil that has not used herbicides such as pursuite and chlorsulfuron, screen it well, and mix it with screened decomposed farmyard manure in a ratio of 7:2.
③ Bagging and sowing
Put the nutrient soil into 10 cm x 15 cm plastic bags, and place 20-30 granules of diammonium phosphate at the lower 1/3 of the plastic bag as base fertilizer, fill it full and firm it, and cut open the bottom corners of the nutrient bag or punch 2-4 holes with a diameter of 8-10 mm at the bottom to allow water to pass through. The sowing time depends on the local season. Use a wooden stick to make a 3-4 cm deep hole in the middle of the nutrient bag, place the sprouted seed with the sprout eye facing down, cover with soil, and water once;
Moonflower propagation methods
Moonflower is native to tropical America and likes warm, humid climates; it is not tolerant of severe cold. It is not demanding about soil, and can adapt to general soil. It can be propagated by seed.
Collect seeds in late autumn, dry and store them, and sow in March to April the following year. When direct sowing in open ground, seedlings should be transplanted and established only after true leaves have grown. At establishment, the plant and row spacing is 40-60 cm x 60-80 cm. In addition, moonflower easily produces adventitious roots at the vine nodes, so it can also be propagated by cuttings and layering. Sow in the seedbed in early spring; when the seedlings produce 3-5 true leaves, they can be established in front of a flower trellis or fence to climb and grow as they wish. They can also be directly sown in open ground in March to April, at a distance of 40-80 cm.
Management during propagation
Moonflower likes a slightly moist to somewhat dry soil environment. The high-temperature period in summer is its vigorous growth stage, and at this time the water supply should be ensured. It has a relatively high demand for fertilizer. In addition to applying base fertilizer at establishment, during the vigorous growth stage a dilute liquid fertilizer can be applied once every 2-3 weeks.
Moonflower likes an environment with ample sunlight, and should receive no less than 4 hours of sunlight per day. It likes warmth and is not cold-tolerant, growing well within a temperature range of 18-28°C. Supports should be set up in time to ensure that the seedlings have something to attach to after growing up and can climb onto the trellis smoothly. In actual cultivation, moonflower can be harmed by powdery mildew and attacked by harmful animals such as aphids. If these occur, measures should be taken promptly to deal with them.
Disease control for moonflower
Moonflower has very good disease resistance. Insect pests include aphids and whiteflies, which can be washed off directly with water, or diluted insecticide can be applied.
Moonflower can overwinter smoothly in a frost-free environment above 5.
Distribution area of moonflower
Moonflower is native to the tropical and temperate regions of the New World, including the entire territory of South America, Central America, Mexico and Florida in the United States. It is distributed throughout the tropics, tropical America, and in China's Guangxi, Shaanxi, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Yunnan, Guangdong, Sichuan, Jiangsu and other places. It often grows in the wild, and has now been widely cultivated artificially.
Domestic distribution
Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan; usually cultivated, and also wild.
Overseas distribution
Its place of origin may be tropical America, and it is now widely distributed throughout the tropics.
Moonflower functions and uses
In the ancient civilizations of Central America, people used moonflower to transform the latex in elastic castilla rubber trees and guayule into elastic rubber balls, because the sulfur element contained in the latex of this plant can vulcanize rubber.
Medicinal value
The whole moonflower plant can be used as traditional Chinese medicine. Its nature and flavor are bitter, pungent, and cool. It can neutralize snake venom; the seeds can treat traumatic swelling and pain and fractures.
The leaves contain the plant hormone calonyctin A, a glycoside composed of 11-hydroxyhexadecyl and ipomeaic acid methyl ester with 4 rhamnoses, which can promote plant growth and development, regulate plant metabolism, and increase yield.
Moonflower's dietary or medicinal value
The medical information and health dietary information on Hugarden are for reference only and cannot be used as a basis for diagnosis or medical treatment. For any health issue, consult professional medical personnel, and for the treatment of any disease, follow doctor's orders.
Ultimate flower-protecting mission: to love yourself, start from reality and strictly follow doctor's orders. Toward illness, do not be careless, do not delay, do not give up hope, face it bravely, use love to warm the silent world, and use your heart to care for the flower field within.
Functions and indications
Whole plant: treats snake bites. Seeds: treat traumatic swelling and pain and fractures.
Harvesting and processing
Stems and leaves are mostly used fresh; seeds are harvested when ripe, dried in the sun, and kept for later use.
Uses
Moonflower can also be used as a material for vertical greening. In a night garden, its large white flowers and fruits are fragrant and can embellish the night scene, adding color to evening parties, and it can also be used as a temporary night cut flower. The whole herb or seeds of moonflower can be used as medicine. The whole herb treats snake bites; the seeds treat traumatic swelling and pain and fractures.
Source
Moonflower of the Convolvulaceae family is used as medicine with the whole plant or seeds.
Chemical composition
The leaves contain the plant hormone calonyctin A. Calonyctin A is a glycoside homolog composed of 4 rhamnoses and 2 aglycones, with two relative molecular masses differing by 28 mass units.
Moonflower garden use: hedge and wall greening
It is mainly used for greening low walls, trellises, railings, wire mesh and other places, using vines to turn hard, monotonous civil engineering components such as trellises, low walls, guardrails and wire mesh into green enclosures with luxuriant branches and lush foliage, which beautifies the environment, insulates sound and blocks dust, and can also form an enclosed space that makes people feel friendly and quiet. Hedge and wall greening generally does not have very strict requirements for the climbing ability of vines, but different types of hedges and walls should choose different suitable materials.
For greening bamboo fences, wire mesh and small railings, herbaceous species with soft stems and small leaves are suitable, such as morning glory, moonflower, sweet pea, balloon vine, and Japanese bindweed; in shaded places, you can also choose Aconitum hemsleyanum, Aconitum alboviolaceum, Aristolochia, and Streptolirion; for ordinary low walls and steel frames, you can choose Rosa multiflora, climbing roses, Caesalpinia decapetala, honeysuckle, Jasminum floridum, firecracker vine, trumpet vine and so on.
Cultural background of moonflower: origin of the name
The white flowers of moonflower resemble a full moon, large and beautiful, and because they open at night, it got its name.
Stories and allusions
In The Tale of Genji, Xiyan is the gourd flower. I always see online that "in The Tale of Genji, it refers to a kind of white small flower of the radish flower type," but I do not know where this claim comes from. It appears in Empresses in the Palace; there is a scene where Consort Hua, because of the Xiyan flower woven from Shu brocade, gives that piece of fabric to Zhen Huan, precisely because she feels the flower's meaning is inauspicious.
Misunderstanding
Morning glory opens in the morning, so how could it be called "Xiyan"! The gourd flower opens in the evening and withers by deep night, so it is called "Xiyan."
In addition, in the fourth chapter "Xiyan" of The Tale of Genji, there is also an annotation referring to morning glory: morning face is morning glory.
"Xiyan" and "Morning Face" are both women in The Tale of Genji, the world's first full-length realistic novel. Xiyan captured the hearts of the two great noble young men of the time, while Morning Face rejected Genji, the male protagonist of the first half, and never married in her life. Whether as women or as plants, Morning Face and Xiyan are exactly opposite.
The meaning of the moonflower
The meaning of the moonflower: eternal love, a beauty that is fragile and fleeting.
A face that never fades in the twilight, a warmth that is never lost in life.
Moonflower pictures
Climbing plants in the courtyard
Climbing plants have always been a commonly used plant material in gardening in our country. Today, the area available for landscape greening is becoming smaller and smaller. Making full use of climbing plants for vertical greening is an important way to expand greening space, raise the overall level of greening, and improve the ecological environment. Their uses in the courtyard are even more extensive; they can be placed on flower columns, flower stands, flower corridors, flower hedges, and beside walls. In addition, many climbing plants can be enjoyed not only for their foliage but also for their flowers. Some climbing plants also give off fragrance, and the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits of some climbing plants can also provide medicinal materials, spices, and so on. The following are climbing plants commonly used in courtyards and their cultivation points.Grape: a common climbing plant on trellises and flower stands in gardens. Its vines are soft and can be pruned at will into various shapes. The fruit hangs down, crystal clear and translucent, both edible and ornamental. The suitable planting periods are February and December. It prefers soil with good light, drainage, and aeration. Apply sufficient compost in a large planting hole, then fill with soil and plant (backfill soil 10~20cm to give good drainage, and plant the seedling on top of it. This makes it prone to falling over, so a support must be set up).
Boston ivy: its stems and vines crisscross, with dense green leaves that turn red or orange-red in autumn, and after leaf fall the interwoven stems and vines look like a painting. In gardens it is often used on cliffs, walls, steep slopes, and similar places, not only beautifying the garden scenery but also adding a sense of secluded charm. For summer Boston ivy, the suitable planting period is February to March; winter Boston ivy can be planted between April and October. Apply compost and chicken manure to finely cultivated soil, then plant, and water thoroughly. Summer Boston ivy should be planted in a place with good light; winter Boston ivy can grow whether planted in a sunny or shady place. Neither should be transplanted as large plants.
Wisteria: its posture is simple and ancient, with twisting, coiling trunks and stems and dense leaves that give deep shade. In gardens it can be planted beside waterside flower stands, colonnades, on both sides of entrance courtyards, and at the tops of cliffs, allowed to climb freely, giving a rich wild charm. Wisteria generally grows along a wisteria trellis. The trellis is generally made of bamboo, wood, or iron pipes, and seedlings are planted at a ratio of one plant per 8~10 square meters. It can also be grown in pots. It is cold hardy and can be planted at any time from November to March of the following year. It should be planted in a place with good light, and fertile clay soil is best. Apply well-fermented compost or leaf mold in the planting hole, then fill with soil and plant. After planting, tie it to a support and keep the support until the plant reaches the desired height, only then removing it. Wisteria is easy to transplant; note that horizontally growing roots should all be dug out, all the way to the root tips, without damaging the root system.
Rosa multiflora: blooms in early summer, with abundant pure white flowers and an elegant fragrance. It can be used for flower columns, flower stands, flower corridors, flower hedges, walls, or pruned into shapes, or to accent rockeries, stone walls, pond edges, and vertical greening. It is generally propagated by cuttings. For hardwood cuttings, collect 1~2-year-old branches in late November as cuttings, 15~18cm long, insert them into the soil, and firm the soil to prevent the branches from being dried by the wind. Water in the following spring to promote budbreak and rooting of the cuttings. Cuttings collected in late November can also be stored in sand and inserted in mid-to-late March of the following year. Softwood cuttings are taken in June to July, using semi-lignified branches of the current year, cut into 12~15cm lengths, inserted to 2/3 of the cutting depth, watered after insertion, and the soil kept moist; roots can form after one month.
Firecracker flower: it likes sunny, warm, and humid environments, and tolerates slight shade. It prefers well-drained soil, is relatively tolerant of waterlogging, and has a certain tolerance to salinity and alkalinity. It is mainly propagated by cuttings and layering, and can also be propagated by division or sowing. For cuttings, hard branches with aerial roots are often selected for spring insertion, and layering is done in summer. Division mostly uses root suckers. Seedlings from seed propagation should be shaded. It needs winter pruning every year, thinning out excessively dry and dead branches. Applying fertilizer and water before flowering can promote lush leaves and abundant flowers. Trumpet creeper is an ideal variety for vertical greening and beautification, and can be used for greening trellises, rockeries, flower corridors, and walls.
Morning glory: also known as trumpet flower, morning glory, and morning-faced flower. It belongs to the genus Ipomoea in the Convolvulaceae family, and is an annual twining herbaceous flowering plant. The trailing stems are slender, about 3~4 m, and the whole plant is densely covered with short bristles. The leaves are alternate, entire or lobed. The cymes are axillary, with 1 to several flowers. The corolla is trumpet-shaped. The flower colors are bright and beautiful. It is a common trailing herbaceous flower in summer and autumn, and can be used for shade in small courtyards and in front of room windows, for beautifying small trellises and hedges, and can also be planted as ground cover. The suitable germination temperature is 20~25°C, and the sowing period is spring and summer; the suitable growth temperature is 22~34°C.
Japanese honeysuckle: Japanese honeysuckle is a perennial semi-evergreen twining shrub. The branchlets are slender and hollow, and the vine is brown to reddish brown. The ovate leaves are opposite, and both branches and leaves are densely covered with soft hairs and glandular hairs. It blooms in summer; the bracts are leaf-like, and the labiate flowers have a light fragrance, with soft hairs and glandular hairs on the outside. The stamens and style extend beyond the corolla. The flowers are borne in pairs in the leaf axils. The flower color is initially white and gradually turns yellow, with yellow and white contrasting. The berry is spherical and black when ripe. Japanese honeysuckle is a medicinal plant with wide medicinal value. Propagation can be done by sowing, cuttings, root division, and other methods.
Costus: a perennial herbaceous plant. It likes cool and humid conditions, is cold tolerant and drought tolerant, and fears high temperatures and strong light; seedlings fear direct light. It can be propagated by seed. Direct sowing: harvest seeds from July to August and dry them in the sun for later use. Spring sowing is from mid-March to early April; autumn sowing is from early August to mid-to-late September; winter sowing is also possible. For hole sowing, open holes at a row spacing of 30cm x 30cm, with a hole depth of 3~5cm, and cover with 1cm of soil after sowing; for drill sowing, open furrows at a row spacing of 30cm and sow. The seeding rate is about 15kg per 1hm2. Keep the soil moist after sowing, and seedlings emerge after about 15d. During the seedling stage, shading is needed or corn can be planted on both sides of the bed. Costus is a medicinal plant with wide medicinal value.
Trumpet creeper: it likes light and prefers a warm, highly humid climate and acidic soil, and grows rapidly. Plant it in courtyards, trellises, flower gates, and fences for vertical greening. It can be planted in large plantings and placed at flower sheds, open-air restaurants, courtyard entrances, and other places for greening the top surface and surroundings, with especially beautiful scenery; it is also suitable for ground planting as a flower wall, covering earth slopes, or used on the balconies of high-rise buildings for vertical or ground-cover greening, displaying magnificence. It is an important climbing flowering plant in South China.
Clematis: also known as iron-line peony, passionflower, golden-wrapped silver, mountain clematis, passionflower, and weilingxian. It is a deciduous or evergreen herbaceous vine. Its branches and leaves are spread out, some with large and brightly colored flowers, and some with many small flowers gathered into large inflorescences, with a unique charm. It is an indispensable excellent material in climbing greening. It can be planted beside walls and in front of windows, or attached beside trees and shrubs, and arranged among rockeries and rocks. It can climb on flower columns, flower gates, and fences; it can also be grown in pots for ornament. A few species are suitable as ground cover plants.
Chinese rose: it is an evergreen or semi-evergreen low shrub that blooms in all four seasons, mostly red, occasionally white, and fragrant. It can be made into continuous flower hedges, flower screens, and flower walls, and is also used as a medicinal plant. Its climbing growth habit is mainly used for vertical greening.
Bougainvillea: also known as paperflower, three-leaf plum, hairy bougainvillea, bougainvillea, triangle flower, leaf flower, leaf plum, paper flower, South American purple jasmine, and so on. A vine-like small shrub, the bougainvillea bracts are large and brightly colored like flowers, and last a long time. It is suitable for courtyard planting or potted ornament. It can also be used for bonsai, hedges, and pruning into shapes. Leaf flower has high ornamental value and is cultivated in southern China as a climbing flower for walls. In the north it is grown in pots and placed at porches, courtyards, and hall entrances. The stems of bougainvillea are poisonous, so be careful about children eating them by mistake.
Climbing plants are plants with a unique structure, performance, and diverse functions, and have high ornamental value. While protecting and improving the natural ecological environment, they also beautify living spaces. They are one of the indispensable planting materials in courtyard greening.