Cup & Saucer Vine

Cobaea scandens

I have been growing Cobaea's for years. I first grew them when living at the old family homestead in Montana many years ago. They did splendidly and I had many, many people who visited us ask what on earth this beautiful and very large vine is. I would often have enough seeds to give some away, hoping more people would grow and enjoy this splendid vine. I now grow them at my new home, with my partner Merlin here in west central Minnesota. The neighbours have taken notice of my addiction to rare plants and especially vines. I shall be sharing seeds throughout Minnesota now too! The seeds should ideally be planted on their sides, with the edges being vertical in the potting mix or soil. I find that I get better and more germination if I do this which results in bigger and more healthy vines. I have a large and tall trellis that my partner built for me and for my fascination with vines in general. I planted my seedling Cobaea's at the base of this trellis around mid May here in our interesting Minnesota climate. The vines are now at the top of the fifteen foot trellis and are now making quite a bower at the top! I can already see a number of the very interesting flower buds, too. Usually, Cobaea's don't bloom until late summer or fall but apparently, these are very happy where I planted them and so are responding appropriately! *Smile* This vine goes crazy here in our rather warm and humid climate. ( In the summer, at least eh? ) I cannot wait to see the amount of flowers these vines will produce here. I put two Cobaea vines on this trellis and it is quite enough to fill the whole trellis and make a wall of very soft, attractive foliage and soon, many, many flowers! The flowers of the Cobaea vine are quite large and can only be described as fascinating and absolutely breathtaking in appearance. They start out sort of a greenish violet colour but soon turn completely violet while the 'saucer' remains a lovely green. They really do look like a cup and saucer! Seed pods form after the flowers are done blooming. Collect the seedpods and seeds for next year and for your friends and curious neighbours! These vines were planted in a mix of good Minnesota soil, compost and a touch of manure from the chickens and their other farmyard friends. I keep the soil moist but not wet. In the summer, it rains here in Minnesota almost every other day or night so moisture is not a problem. It also stays quite warm and consequently, very humid! I would say we are about a Zone 4 to 5 here outside of Glenwood, Mn. Grow Cobaea's and your friends and neighbours will be amazed at your gardens and your green thumb. Thanks to Select Seeds for a great site and excellent seeds and plants! Happy Gardening To All!

I've grown this plant for years, both for personal use and to sell at our local farmers market. It's a wonderful vine, very vigorous, and the flowers are gorgeous. Hummingbirds love them! I give the plant itself 5 stars, however the number of seeds stated brings down the rating. Our normal supplier had a backorder, so I needed to order elsewhere quickly. I purchased 5 packets, and they ranged from 30-34 seeds in each. I'm sure they measure by weight, which is fine, but if you state a number of seeds, that's at least how many should be in the packet. For those interested, we are located in coastal NH, start the seed in March, and they bloom profusely up until frost.