Spanish Flag Ipomoea lobata

Spanish flag is an annual, flowering, herbaceous vine, native to Mexico, that is related to morning glory, but with a very different type of flower. It is a perennial in its warm, native, home, but because it is not frost tolerant, it is typically grown as an ornamental annual. At maturity, the vine can reach a length of 16 feet. The plant displays a gradient of color from yellow to red along a flower that is irregular in shape and held in upright clusters on a slender, bending stem. The plant blooms freely from mid to late summer until frost and the flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators. The genus name comes from the Greek words ips meaning "worm" and homoios meaning "resembling", referring to the sprawling underground roots of plant. The species name means "lobed" and refers to the deeply lobed foliage of this species.
The common name Spanish flag vine refers to the gradient of red to yellow on the flowers.

Spanish flag does best in consistently moist, organically rich, well-draining soil in a sheltered spot with full sun. It will tolerate some shade, but the colorful floral display will suffer. You should start seeds indoors about six weeks before the average last frost date. Seeds should be scarified and soaked in water for 12-24 hours to aid germination. Seeds are slow to germinate and require warm growing media (at least 70°F). Keep the plant as a indoor plant or plant outdoors once the threat of frost has completely past. It is hardy in frost free Zones 10-11, but will not tolerate temperatures below 40°F. The plant is a climbing vine and will probably require a trellis or some other structure to climb.

Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems:

Other than frost issues, there are no known diseases, insect pests, or other plant problems.

More information on Ipomoea.