Lapageria, Chilean Bellflower, Copihue 'Contulmo'

Contulmo, named after the Chilean town it was found in, is the most vibrant of all the red lapageria. Flowers are very large at 3.5 inch...Read Morees long and 2 inches wide at the base of the bell. It also is the latest flowering, showing its best red at Christmas time and into January.

This woody climber originated in the rain forests of Chile (where it is their national flower) where it prefers its roots in shade and then it climbs up into the sunlight to flower in summer all the way thru to winter. It can grow up to 15 feet under cultivation and even higher in the wild. The flowers which are thick and waxy, hang down like 3 to 4 inch bells. They have 6 petals, 3 outer and 3 inner that form the bell shape. They prefer a slightly acid soil with regular watering. The temperate weather of the California coastal areas and Bay Area of California allow this subtropical vine to flourish.

I have had no problem growing several in the California Bay Area outside even when we have had uncharacteristically cold weather in the winter of 2006 which went down to 24 degrees periodically over a 2 week period.