PlantFiles: Cup of Gold Vine
Solandra maxima

This is my favorite vine. It grows really fast in spring/summer! Almost like it grows 1 foot over night. I love it alot, i fertalize it a lot, and it stays nice and healthy. Nice big scented flowers from around fall-spring for me. Does get some frost damage at 32Degrees, But just seems to affect the leaves and not the vine itself.. Nice conversation piece, likes to be moist, but not wet wet..

I love this plant!!!! I live in an area where it gets about 32 degrees at night, and its made it through the winter.. It had a little burning of the leaves, but it picked right up the past few months... It grows very very very fast!!! And the blooms are to die for... I have it on a south facing wall, next to my Clematis vine, they both look very good together!!! Haven't had any pest problems... Easy to grow from cuttings, just let it sit in water for a week, when you see white crystals, then its time to pot up!!! It responds well to the Miracle Gro - Bloom Booster.. Start off fertilizing with that before Christmas, (Almost everytime you water use that!) then keep it going until about May! After that i just do the regular Miracle Gro about every other time i water it.. You will be stunned by the bigger blossoms, and the darker leaves!!! Love it, and everyone should own one! They are kinda high in price, but well worth it.. It does have a scent, but i don't really care for it!!!

I have always liked the looks of this plant/vine and have noticed quite a few growing in our area.

I haven't tried this yet, but a friend told me she likes to cut perfect blossoms, sit them in a wine glass (after taking out the pistiles) and fill with vanilla ice cream to serve to guests. She claims the ice cream is then slightly perfumed with the scent of the blossom.
Someday I might try it.

After four years of our S. nitida (from a cutting) rambling over a south-facing wall - and just as we had given up all hopes of it ever flowering - a single bud opened to the sun this morning!

In late-summer through winter this vigorous vine produces 7-inch wide, trumpet shaped flowers of golden yellow. Each flower is marked inside with dark purple ridges. These large tropical vines can be maintained at 4-5 feet in a container with heavy pruning. In tropical zones they become massive mounds of foliage and can even take down small trees. Vines are heavy and will need to be trained and tied to a sturdy support. Prune Solandra after flowering to maintain shape and form. Buds form on growing tips so don't prune again or you'll risk disrupting the flowering cycle. Solandras are heavy feeders and should be fertilzed every 2 weeks with high phosphate fertilizer through the growing season.