Eccremocarpus scaber

The Chilean glory flower, Eccremocarpus scaber is a fast growing evergreen perennial vine. An exotic-looking climber with dark fern-like foliage and twining tendrils that cling to fences and trellises.
This useful climbing plant will quickly cover walls, archways or pergolas.The clusters of small tubular flowers range from bright orange-scarlet and carmine rose to clear golden yellow.

This sub-tropical native of Chile and Peru will survive short periods of low temperature, as low as -5°C (23°F) and although it may die back to soil level in mild regions or situated on a warm wall, will come again with new growth from the base, reappearing larger and stronger the following year. In very mild, sheltered areas the foliage may remain all winter. Otherwise they can be grown as an annual. Very easy to grow, if sown early will flower the same year.

• Awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit
  Eccremocarpus scaber has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit (AGM).

Sowing: Sow indoors from late Winter to early spring or sow directly outdoors from May onwards.

Sowing Indoors: Mid January to Mid March.
Surface sow the seeds in trays, pots, etc of good seed sowing mix (John Innes or similar) Just cover with vermiculite. Do not exclude light. Make sure that the compost is moist but not wet. Place in a propagator or seal in a polythene bag until after germination. Keep in a warm place at an optimum temperature of 15°C (60°F). Germination usually takes 21 to 60 days.
Transplant when large enough to handle into 7.5cm (3in) pots to grow on. Gradually acclimatise to outdoor conditions for 10-15 days before planting out after all risk of frost.

Sowing Direct:
After all danger of frost has gone you can grow Glory flowers directly outdoors by sowing the seed in the middle of spring (after the last frost) at temperatures around 15°C (60°F); simply cover the seeds with fine topsoil once sown. They should be grown in a sunny area of the garden that has good drainage. Glory flowers like to grow in a soil that is moist and light in nature.
The young Glory flower should be spaced at about 30 cm apart (though it is better just to grow one plant) onto a trellis so that it can climb. Seedlings transplanted outdoors at the beginning of May will typically bloom from mid-summer to frost.

Position:
This climber loves neutral to slightly acidic, nutrient rich, well drained soil in full sun. In cool climates, choose a site with reflected heat. An excellent conservatory or greenhouse specimen, they will grow happily in a container, where they will last for a long time.
Eccremocarpus loves rich soil & appreciates a top dressing of compost in early spring.
This vine needs a trellis or other structure on which to grow, or provide stout strings to support the vines. They are wonderful twining through other climbers such as roses and clematis on trellis, fences and arch ways.

Cultivation:
Remember that the climber shrubs are very vigorous, and in hot weather will need abundant watering. Use a slow release granular fertiliser every 3 to 4 months.
If you plan to grow Glory flowers as perennials then they should be pruned during the first spring after planting, cut back all new growth to 15cm (6in) to encourage new shoots from the base. This tendril climber flowers on new growth, so in subsequent years, cut back all frost-damaged growth and then reduce other stems to about 60cm (24in). The new climbing stems will carry the colourful trumpet flowers.
Propagation is usually by seed, but leaf bud and soft tip cuttings may be taken in late summer for overwintering indoors.

Plant Uses:
Vine for trellises, pergolas, walls, fences or other structures around the home.

Origin:
Eccremocarpus is a genus of five species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to western South America in Chile, Argentina, and Peru. E. scaber is the commonest of the five species.

Nomenclature:
Eccremocarpus is from the Greek ekkremes meaning 'pendent' or 'hanging' and carpus meaning 'fruit' .
The species name scaber means ‘rough’.
It is commonly known as Chilean Glory Vine, Glory Vine, Beauty Vine, Chupa-chupa, Lorito and Voqui,
Eccremocarpus scaber is also known as Calampelis scaber

Pronunciation:
Family: Bignoniaceae - big-no-nih-AY-see-ee
Genus: Eccremocarpus - ek-rem-oh-KAR-pus
Species: scaber - SKAB-er