Cobaea scandens (cup and saucer vine) is hands down my favourite annual climber and I sow some every year, not really knowing where they’re going to go, but safe in the knowledge that they’ll go somewhere, and I’ll love them to bits. If you’re looking for an easy-to-grow climber that looks fabulous, this is the one for you.
Cobaea scandens growing up a willow tipi
Here’s a pic of me in my nighty inside a tipi full of this wonderful plant. Bit silly but we made this pic to underline the fact that if you stand still long enough this plant would probably climb all over you quite happily. I used to grow it in my kitchen, letting it climb the walls up towards a skylight..so yes, it’s perfectly happy in a pot.
This is one of those plants whose seeds are large enough to make sowing a double joy. The other reason I love them is that they are self-clinging, meaning I can be super-lazy and let them bomb off up whatever I give them to climb without worrying about tying in.
Here’s a how-to video I did for Cobaea five years ago, and nothing has changed in the way I do it. Two things I do forget to mention (because videoing yourself is a bit befuddling) is that I SOAK the seeds for a few hours before planting, and I put these little pots inside a tray with a plastic lid (as with most seeds) to keep the atmosphere humid and aid germination
Have fun with these!
x Laetitia
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