PLANTS come in all shapes, forms, sizes and colours. They may be perennials, terrestrials, annuals or seasonals, and, in substance, they may also be woody, semi-woody or herbaceous.
They may also, in most cases, be loaded with plenty of leaves, fruits and flowers which attract not only humans but also birds, monkeys, squirrels and other life forms.
While many are trees, shrubs, climbers, creepy-crawlies or ground huggers, there are also numerous varieties that exhibit characteristics that cover two or more of these categories. For instance, some plants may sprawl and spread profusely but within the same perspective, they are also climbers and twiners.
This means there are parts of such plants that crawl and creep along the soil surface while at the same time, there are also other branches and stems that climb freely as long as there are nearby supporting structures that allow for extensions of growth to be pushed further upwards or laterally.
One such example is known in common name term as Bleeding Heart Vine. It also bears other common names such as bag flower, glory tree and glory bower, among others.
Known botanically as Clerodendron thomsoniae, it is a beautiful bloomer that is native to tropical Western Africa. The plant is an evergreen woody twiner with the turns and grips that are very loose as compared to other true climbers such as Four-angled Beans or Paederia foetida which is also known as stinkvine.
When grown on the ground, its extensive spread may cover a diameter of six metres while its height may reach 4-7 metres or more. Unless faced with very dry climatic conditions, bleeding heart vines may hold its ground perennially without any serious damage.
For general information, the common name of bleeding heart is derived from the colour of the petals which is blood red. This appears to be like drops of blood that oozes out from the calyx that surrounds and protects the five petals.
The petals are laid out in a nearly flat plane while the calyxes appear initially to clasp the tender petals in a protective move but as the flower fully opens, the calyxes begin to loosen up while the stamens and style that grow from the middle of the flower corolla firm up and stretch to their entire length of about 1-2 cm.
Flowers are borne in terminal clusters with each bearing from 5-18 flowers. They last 4-6 weeks or longer. As age wears them down, both the petals and calyxes also begin to become more and more flaccid and saggy before they finally crumble into small lumps.
But days before this, a subtle but progressive colour change becomes very noticeable with the initial white calyxes degenerating into light pink and purple.
These may stick onto the plant for several days thus creating an image that is less than spick-and-span.
At this stage, it is best to trim them off to keep the plant in better shape as well as to encourage the formation of new shoots and flowering trusses.
This maintenance system works wonders especially with the plants that are potted, thus enhancing the flowering power of the plant that is already an all-year-round bloomer.
When this feature is taken advantage of, it is not difficult to set up rows of the gorgeous bloomer that line walkways, paths, driveways, etc. During snooze time in the garden, it is not impossible to hallucinate about waltzing along a path lined with the bloomer that leads into heavenly gardens.
In the case of the potted ones, they may be used either with or without the addition of other plants, to line broad staircases that lead all the way to cosy apartments somewhere up in the clouds.
To benefit from the use of such plants on a long term basis, it is necessary to maintain them on a regular basis on a 3-4 month cycle.
This may include trimming, fertilizing, weeding, staking, training and removal of any shrivelled parts. While the others are usual gardening tasks, staking and training are helpful practices as far as bleeding heart vines are concerned.
With plants that are grown on the ground, the use of narrow three metre long poles set in a tripod system helps greatly in maintaining the shape of the plant to reduce as much as possible any stray growths that may affect the tidiness of the surrounding area.
It may also prevent the plant from intruding into or growing over other nearby plants. On the other hand, potted bleeding heart vines are best kept at heights of 0.6-2.0 metres to reduce hassles and problems that may arise at a later stage.
The smaller specimens may also be set in hanging gardens to decorate the porch or balconies. These specimens may be kept small and bushy to be grown in 15-20 cm pots and then placed in suitable baskets to be hung at selected spots for beautification purposes.
Bleeding heart vines are hassle-free when it comes to cultivation and maintenance. They grow well under full sunlight, or at least in bright locations if direct sunlight is not available.
The most natural setting is in open spaces where overshading is minimal or none at all. To have beautifully grown plants, just ensure that the soils used are fertile, friable and well-drained.
A dose of fertiliser once in a quarter together with regular weeding and watering may result in unending flowering and loads of floral rewards.
Don’t believe? Go try it la.
# The writer may be reached at: onggrow@yahoo.com
