Plant Care Library

Other Names:  syn. Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides

Description:

An attractive evergreen vine producing fleshy, arrowhead shaped green leaves with small teeth, and large clusters of brilliant orange-red daisy-like flowers from late spring to fall; great for trellises, hanging baskets, or cascading over a wall

Ornamental Features

Mexican Flame Vine features showy clusters of scarlet daisy flowers with gold eyes at the ends of the branches from late spring to late fall. Its serrated pointy leaves emerge light green in spring, turning green in color the rest of the year.

Landscape Attributes

Mexican Flame Vine is a multi-stemmed evergreen perennial vine with a twining and trailing habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and can be pruned at anytime. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Invasive

Mexican Flame Vine is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

Mexican Flame Vine will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. As a climbing vine, it should either be planted near a fence, trellis or other landscape structure where it can be trained to grow upwards on it, or allowed to trail off a retaining wall or slope. Although it is technically a woody plant, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as a perennial in our climate if planted outdoors over the winter, usually regrowing from its base (crown) the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This species is not originally from North America. It can be propagated by cuttings.

Mexican Flame Vine is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.