10 Seeds Mix colours
Black-eyed Susan vine is commonly grown as a season annual to provide color in a vertical setting.
This plant, Thunbergia alata, is actually a tender evergreen perennial in the acanthus family (Acanthaceae) native from tropical East Africa to eastern South Africa.
This trailing or twining vine grows rapidly from seeds, reaching up to 8 feet in a single season under ideal conditions, but more often only 3 to 5 feet.
This vine grows by twisting around supports and has heart-shaped, softly hairy leaves.
The plant is a rambler, climbing by twining (growing in a spiral up a support) rather than by clinging or producing tendrils as some other vines do. The opposite, oval to triangular or heart-shaped leaves grow up to 3 inches long on winged petioles.
Showy flowers in shades of orange and yellow are produced singly in the leaf axils.
Black-eyed Susan vine does best when allowed to grow on some sort of support structure instead of just rambling through adjacent plants, although it can be used as a ground cover. It makes a dramatic focal point when grown on a tall tuteur or other decorative support in a border or bed, will cover a fence, arbor or trellis along a wall for decoration or to create a quick privacy screen, and will cascade from a hanging basket (as well as grow up the hangers).
Try combining black-eyed Susan vine with other aggressive vines such as morning glory or purple hyacinth bean.
