Sky Blue Cluster Vine – the small ultramarine, white throated flowers is the reflection of a clear blue summer sky.
When the clusters of blue flowers first caught my eye, I thought they looked delicate. I suspected that the plant would need to be molly coddled and was debating if it was wise to get a pot. But I couldn’t resist the flowers and bought three!
But what I thought was a BATA (buy-and-throw-away) plant is still going strong two years down the road. This fast-growing perennial blooms easily.
Think of blue skies. Think Sky Blue Cluster Vine.
Care and propagation: partial to full sun; well drained soil; water moderately; propagate using cuttings or by layering (apparently the flowers set seeds but I have not spotted any so far)
I just bought one of these plants. They’re native here in South Florida, but they’re endangered in the wild. Fortunately, native plant nurserys grow them. The colour is just glorious.
— Penny, South Miami
I agree about the colour. It’s such a vivid blue. And the best thing is that it’s a perennial! 😀
i live in houston texas and bought one in March. i have had it in the ground but it has not bloomed since. any advice?
does it get enough sunlight, kathy?
Mine took a while to get going; in fact, I thought I’d killed it, but it’s a tough old bird. I don’t think mine flowered for about a year after it went in the ground.
would love to see a photo of your plant.
i have it in full sun. i would like to send pic but not sure how to.
could you email it to me at typicalgardener@gmail.com? thanks!
i really like the vine and it will be beautiful when the flowers come.
________________________________
Cindy
I got my plant this summer and it has grown up the side of my house. Can it be cut back and if so when is the best time? It didn’t bloom but a few blooms but it was planted around June, although the vine has taken off.
[…] first encounter this time was with the “Skyblue Clustervine” (“Jacquemontia Pentantha”), a delicate perennial twiner with glorious flowers that make you […]
One of my all time favourite plants and a glorious colour. I battled to find a plant initially. Tried collecting seed in India but nothing grew, then ordered expensive seed nothing came up, brought cuttings back from the West Indies all died. Eventually few years down the line I found one in a pot for sale in Sri Lanka, my last day there and the very last nursery I visited before the airport. It was grubby little grow bag quarter filled with solid wet clay and a few sad looking sticks poking out, couple of leaves, no new growth.
Anyway once home I got it in the ground, and it took off, no problem at all, it was our wet season so I think that helped. Shot out many new shoots, hair thin but they were on octane the way they grew and the leaves were alarmingly big. Since it settled down the leaves have got much smaller and tougher which is more fitting with the flowers and how I know it. I thought I had bought the wrong plant. Now I have my very own lovely little blue flowers strung along a fence and I really can’t stop loving it! It’s positively thriving in semi dappled shade. Takes weeks and weeks of torrential monsoon rains and the bone dry cool season in it’s stride, started flowering the first dry season after planting and hasn’t really stopped. I did feed and dig in a load of compost and a small sprinkle of starter fert when planted.
Going to try cuttings soon because I want it in other places but I cant bear to touch a single stem as there are flowers everywhere. True it does look so delicate but it’s tough as boots, that plant was stuffed in a suitcase and remained there for two days, soggy wet in a plastic bag with the top knotted. Im very surprised it’s endangered in the wild in Florida it certainly isn’t anywhere else in the tropics. Could be the seed thing, as none of mine came up so they could be more or less sterile or the seed is being attacked by beetles….no idea but the seller did say they were quite difficult from seed. The seed is ridiculously tiny too, could be it doesn’t remain viable for very long either but that was 50US$ down the drain for three tweeny packets….not advised to try seed unless you have free access to loads of it.
PS – No idea how delighted I am to find your Tropical Blog!
I have jacquemontia in my garden. There are a lot of branches at the bottom of the plant that do not have leaves on them. I am not sure if I can cut them as they don’t really look nice. What do you recommend?
i wouldn’t do a hard prune myself. maybe a light one to encourage branching?