Bleeding Heart Vine produces tons of flowers and can be trimmed to just about any desirable size. Flowers are seen year round, more during warmer months of the year. In the cooler months, it is sure to attract hummingbirds! The vine has beautiful foliage and grows in shade or sun. Grow it in the shade for nicer foliage or grow it in the sun for maximum flowers. You should provide a structure for it to climb on or keep it trimmed as a shrub.
Available Colors: Purple and White
How to care for Bleeding Heart Vine
Light. Grows in sun or part shade, but it needs some direct sun to bloom well.
Water. Keep the soil moist but not soggy while it is growing actively. Once established it is somewhat drought tolerant.
Soil and feeding. Give it organic-rich, well-drained soil, and fertilize regularly while it is actively growing. In a pot, use a rich mix such as Potting Soil.
Size. Listed at 5 ft and up. A twining vine, it can climb 10–15 ft on a trellis, or be pinched back into a mounding shrub.
Pruning. It blooms on new growth, so cut it back after flowering. Thin out old, crowded shoots and long runners; it handles hard pruning.
Problems to watch. Pests are few, but mealybugs and spider mites sometimes appear. Treat mealybugs with Insecticidal Soap.
Good to know. Protect it from freezing. In cool weather it drops leaves and regrows from the roots. It can spread by underground shoots and by stems that root where they touch the ground.
Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder: Clerodendrum thomsoniae · University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension: Bleeding Heart Vine, Clerodendrum thomsoniae · UNF Botanical Garden: Clerodendron thomsoniae, Bleeding heart vine
