Blooming indoor vines
By Amy McDowell
The Linnaean
House at the Missouri Botanic Garden is the most enthralling building I have
ever set foot in. It is a brick-sided greenhouse built in 1916, proudly touted
as the oldest continuously operating greenhouse this side of the Mississippi
River. A brick path snakes through the center of the earth floor and plants on
both sides of the path sink their roots directly into the ground. Vines clamor
up the brick walls inside and outside the building. When the large wood-frame
windows are left open in the summer, the scents of camellias and jasmine wisp
in and out.
The earthen floor
anchors plants and gives my soul an indoor soil connection far beyond potting
soil in containers. Planting beds in the dome at the Des Moines Botanical
Center are similar, but the scale of the Linnaean House creates an intimate,
homey atmosphere. If only I could live in such a building.
I am left to
recreate the divine environment on a pot-bound scale, but a handful of blooming
vines cooperate with the conditions in my home. The following tender vines are
some of the simplest. They require very bright light, like that in a southern-
or eastern-facing window, and are content with average home temperatures and
humidity. Most will bloom all winter with regular water, little fertilizer and
an occasional trim. Spray to keep the bugs at bay. Once a month, use
insecticidal soap or mix your own with a drop of dish soap and a teaspoon of
rubbing alcohol in a 16-ounce spray bottle filled with water.
Black-Eyed Susan
Vine (Thunbergia alata) originally bloomed golden with a dark eye. I grew it in
that loud clashy color, but now they are available in tamer citrus colors, pink
blush and pure white. The new colors look great beside the cool colors of
Browalia (B. speciosa major) and trailing Lobelia (L. erinus). Browalia blooms
with 1-inch blue stars all winter, and the Lobelia has dainty dark purple
flowers.
Other vines that
bloom indoors include smelly Lantana (L. montevidensis), ivy geranium (Pelargonium
peltatum), red-and-white glory bower (Clerodendrum thomsoniae), finicky Fuschia
(F. magellanica gracilis), delightfully fragrant snail vine (Phaseolus
caracalla) and fan flower (Scaevola aemula).
