Description
Spanish flag (Mina lobata, syn. Ipomoea lobata) is a climber grown here as an annual. It belongs to the bindweed family (Convolvulaceae) and comes from South America. Its stems reach up to 5 metres in length.
It is a climber decorated by its flowers, gathered in one-sided, multicoloured sprays. The youngest flowers in the spray are red-purple, older ones just before opening are orange, and open ones range from pale yellow to almost white. The whole spray looks like a flame. The plant flowers from June to October. The leaves are large, three-lobed and light green.
Spanish flag is excellent for covering arbours, pergolas, trellises, fences, railings and balconies.
Requirements
It needs a sunny position sheltered from the wind and free-draining, moist, reasonably rich soil.
Propagation
Spanish flag is propagated by seed sown in March–April in a cold frame or in May directly outdoors.
Care
It is very sensitive to frost, so plant it out after 15 May. For earlier flowering, sow the seeds in pots at the beginning of March and stand them on a windowsill, then plant them out with the whole root ball after the spring frosts.