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You are here: Home / Containers / A salute to annual Spanish flag vine

A salute to annual Spanish flag vine

By Beckie Fox Filed Under: Containers

It’s easy to see why the vine is called Spanish flag. (Garden Making photo)
It’s easy to see why the vine is called Spanish flag. (Garden Making photo)

Annual vines are easy to grow and well-behaved, and most have intriguing blooms that last all summer. My current favourite is Spanish flag vine (Ipomoea lobata), a.k.a. firecracker vine. Small, tubular red and gold blooms are lined up in a row along short, wiry stems that arch out from the main stems. The effect is reminiscent of fringe or tiny flags, fluttering in a breeze. The plant has a third common name, exotic love vine, but I wouldn’t dare hazard a guess as to how it acquired that moniker.

Like many annual vines, Spanish flag makes a good container plant, growing about six to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 m) tall, depending on the length of your growing season. I have two in a large (24- by 24-inch/ 60- by 60-cm) pot, twining up a tall obelisk. A few orange bidens fill the bare ankles of the vines and trail over the edge. I’ve also paired it with orange and yellow calibrachoas.

An annual vine in a container, such as Spanish flag, makes a great thriller plant.
An annual vine in a container, such as Spanish flag, makes a great thriller plant.

I usually find started plants in well-stocked nurseries in late spring and plant them out once all threat of a late frost is gone. If growing from seed, start early indoors; seed takes two to four weeks to germinate. Rough up the thick seed coat or soak for a few hours in lukewarm water and follow the sowing instructions on the seed packet.

Spanish flag prefers full sun, heat and soil that’s consistently moist (but not soggy). Plants don’t seem to attract insect pests, but they do attract hummingbirds, another reason I always save space on the patio for a few vines. The most negative observation I can make is that toward the end of summer, the foliage — especially near the base of the plants — may look a tad scraggly.

Unlike many flowering perennial vines, annual vines grow quickly, covering an arbour or trellis in a month or two, before dying away once frost hits them, leaving a clean slate for next season — a chance to try something new!

Published: July 23, 2015 | Updated: February 2, 2019

About Beckie Fox

Beckie is Editor of Garden Making. She is a Master Gardener and published author in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Diane says

    October 2, 2017 at 8:30 am

    Do I gather the seed pods on Spanich flag when they are green or wait until they turn black?

    Reply
  2. Mary Lynn says

    March 10, 2016 at 8:12 pm

    Can you buy the seeds for Spanish Flag in Canada?

    Reply
    • Heather White says

      March 10, 2016 at 8:20 pm

      Hi Mary Lynn, Yes you can buy them in Canada. William Dam Seeds for example has them. http://www.damseeds.ca/productcart/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=927

      Reply
      • Mary lynn says

        March 24, 2016 at 9:41 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    • Heather White says

      March 11, 2016 at 8:38 am

      FYI, Anything Grows also has seeds:
      http://www.anythinggrows.com/index.php?route=product/search&search=spanish%20flag

      Reply
  3. Caron Cooley says

    September 23, 2015 at 2:33 am

    I started by seed the Spanish Flag Vine. I was so impressed. The flowers are gorgeous. I definitely will start more in the spring.

    Reply

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