Pink bignonia: care

Also called pink bignonia, Pandora’s bush or trumpets, the scientific name of this plant is Podranea ricasoliana, being one of only two species of the genus Podranea. The pink bignonia has its origin in South Africa, where it reaches heights of up to 5 meters highalthough always with a tutor or support to climb on, since this climber does not have tendrils to hold on to.

Some of the characteristics of the pink bignonia are:

• It is short woody trunk: which usually grows with a twisted appearance, and has deciduous leaves with oval or lanceolate leaflets, arranged between 6 and 10 plus a terminal one.
• The most striking thing is undoubtedly his summer bloom: appears in summer and lasts until late autumn.
• Their sheets they are from a vivid green and pretty.
• The flowers of the pink bignonia have bell or trumpet shape: to which it owes one of its popular names, and they appear arranged in the form of terminal panicles, with very pretty petals of a showy pink color with violet nerves.

Bignonia is cultivated, like almost all climbers, mainly as outdoor plant. It will not have problems in temperate climates such as the Mediterranean or similar, and it also tolerates the sea breeze reasonably well, and can even be grown in coastal areas.

His weak point is the cold, although even at this point it is not particularly sensitive. The pink bignonia can withstand occasional slight frosts, down to -4 ºC, but it will not withstand these temperatures for very long periods, especially if it is young.

Regarding the light, it is best to give it as much light as possible, locating it in full sun unless it is exceptionally strong in your area. The plant can also grow and develop well in partial shade, although it will do so more slowly and produce fewer flowers.

Thus, the ideal location for this plant will be south facing Y in a lighted areaand if possible protected from the wind.

Discover here other easy-care outdoor plants.

The pink bignonia needs to maintain certain level of moisture in the soil, so it requires abundant watering in the warm months. As always, this should never be confused with waterlogging the soil or substrate, which will surely damage the roots and weaken the plant.

• In the hot months: During spring and summer, water when the top layer of the growing medium appears to dry out. Stick a finger or a toothpick into the ground and, if under 2-3 fingers the earth it doesn’t stick, it waters.
• In the cold months: space these waterings considerably, practically stopping watering in the coldest of winter, thus allowing the plant to go into vegetative rest.

Plant does not have high demands As for the soil or substrate, the most essential thing is that it offers the best possible drainage to avoid dangerous flooding, since it needs regular irrigation.

In the garden, water with the hose looking for where the water is absorbed more quickly and does not accumulate to locate your pink bignonia there. If there are no points with adequate drainage, you will have to withdraw a space of about 50cm diameter of earth to fill with a suitable mixture.

In a pot, you can use a mixture of coconut fiber, peat and earthworm humus in equal parts, to which add a handful of vermiculite and another of perlite. This gives rise to a very light, airy universal substrate with excellent nutritional properties, ideal for the plant.

As for the fertilizer, it will suffice to add a few two fingers of earthworm humus at the base of the plant each 15 days during the warm months, which will strengthen the bignonia and enhance its flowering.

Do not hesitate to take a look at this article on How to make earthworm hummus from EcologíaVerde.

Like many other climbers with a high growth capacity, it is common for you to have to carry out regular pruning to your bignonia to keep it in the shape and size you want. However, in addition to the usual maintenance and guide pruning, the plant needs to be carried out major pruning every two or three years to maintain vigor.

These should always be done late winterbefore new shoots start to appear. Lower the height of the plant as much as you want and without fear, so you will see how much it will have grown by the end of the warm months.

As always, it is vital that pruning is done with well-disinfected and sharp tools, making clean, oblique cutsthat prevent the entry of pests and diseases.

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