Plant of the Season - Spring





Plant of the Season is brought to you by Gayle Parkes, OGV sub-committee member. She also posts to OGV's Instagram - make sure you check back regularly for her latest post. 

Tropaeolum tricolor, the three-coloured Indian cress or Chilean nasturtium, is a species of perennial plant in the family Tropaeolaceae. It is endemic to Chile, where it is called soldadito rojo and relicario. Wikipedia.

This sweet, delicate little gem gives me so much pleasure, spring after spring after spring! Goodness knows how to pronounce the botanical name, I just call it my pretty little climber that lives half its year in my shed! I have read that this stunning, rare vine is sometimes called the Chilean Nasturtium or Bolivian Nasturtium. 
I purchased my plant in a 6inch pot during an opening of Tugurium in Macedon. I first saw it weaving its way through a shrub in this garden and was delighted to find a pot of it for sale at the plant stall there. I was told that it would soon die down and needed to be put in the shed and forgotten about until autumn. And I did just that! I then planted the small tuber in a terracotta pot and had my blacksmith friend make me a rusty metal frame for my pretty little climber to cling to.

Tropaeolum tricolorum (tricolor) can grow to 4 to 6 feet tall.  It has wiry, twining stems and dainty, delicate ‘clover like’ rich green foliage that acts like tendrils, wrapping themselves around branches or supports as the plant climbs upward.  Around mid winter, once the plant has all its leaves, the flowers make their appearance. And what an appearance! 

It may have tiny flowers, but wow, does it have lots of them and they are fascinating! These small, showy trumpet shaped lime green flowers are surrounded by a vivid red and vibrant purple calyx with a long spur. Just to add even more interest, these cute blooms tend to face the same general direction, giving the impression that they're little fish, all swimming together!  They bloom for so long!
One of the main tricks to growing this wonderful little plant is to make sure it gets a dry summer. In late spring, early summer, after the flower show is over, the vine goes dormant, ready for its sleep in my garden shed where it is guaranteed to stay dry, until it’s time to bring it out again next autumn.

Why not hunt one down? You will probably find it at rare plant nurseries or specialized bulb growers. The Garden Lovers’ Fair is coming up in October at the magnificent property Bolobek in Macedon. Maybe there will be a little 6inch pot of Tropaeolum tricolorum with your name on it? You’ll love it!




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