Add This Eye-Catching Purple Vine To Your Garden For A Pop Of Color
The perfect spring garden should catch your eye with all its vibrant colors. Red roses, yellow sunflowers, and blue morning glories cover the primary hues, but for a stunning purple flower for your garden, purple bell vines top the list. Scientifically known as Rhodochiton atrosanguineus, this perennial is native to Mexico and is grown elsewhere as an ornamental flower. A dark purple tube grows in the center of its crown of petals, giving the blossom a unique two-tiered look. The fast-growing vine makes it great for fences, pergolas, trellises, walls, and hanging baskets.
Apart from its beauty, the purple bell vine is also a low-maintenance plant. It is easy to grow and isn't susceptible to many diseases or pests. The colorful petals also last all growing season, showcasing their purple crowns into autumn and often until the first frost. To add a pop of color to your garden and have flourishing purple bell vines, all you need are warmth, water, and sunlight.
How to grow purple bell vine flowers
Purple bell vines love the warm weather. These perennials are best suited for hardiness zones 10 and 11 due to their sensitivity to the cold. However, if you're in a colder zone, you can plant purple bell vines in containers and bring them indoors when it gets cold. Or you can simply grow them as annuals in your flower beds. The colorful vines can grow up to 12 feet in one season and are best for hanging baskets or as the "spiller" plant in container gardens. As the vines climb any nearby structure, they also add a nice touch to privacy fences, pillars, and awnings.
These flowers are typically started by seed and take 45 days to germinate. You can start the seeds indoors and transplant the seedling once the last frost has passed. Whether you're growing purple bell vines in the ground or pots, you want to place them in an area with lots of sunlight. While they can survive with just two hours of sunshine, six hours of direct light is ideal with protection from the harsh afternoon heat. The soil should be kept moist but well-drained — you don't want it to dry out or become soggy. With these conditions, your purple bell vines should thrive as statement blooms that bring a colorful accent to your yard.