PlantFiles: Black-Eyed Susan Vine
Thunbergia alata 'Spanish Eyes'

While this plant was easy to propagate from seed indoors, I was underwhelmed with the lack of blooms it produced in hanging baskets. Too much foliage and not enough flowers.

I started mine late outdoors. They took a while to get going and never got to the flowering stage before fall. I will try again in 2010 and start them inside ahead of time as the seed packets says.

A little more information from your friends at Botanical Interests: "Annual. Blooms summer. 5' - 10' trailing vine. Full sun. Vigorous vine with sunset-colored, dark-eyed flowers. Great ground cover, screen, or hanging basket variety! Use in window boxes, as a ground cover, on a trellis, or in hanging baskets. Sow outside after danger of spring frost has passed. "

Wonderful little vine! Was slow to start growing, but once it took off, it is spreading like wildfire! I have them growing on a trellis and also in hanging baskets, they seem to prefer climbing to hanging, but still look good in the baskets. The colors in this mix are wonderful, my cousin had never seen a black-eyed susan vine before, but after seeing the first bloom of this variety she gasped and shouted "that's my new favorite flower!". I think it's my new favorite vine, at the least. Not sure how easy it will be to gather seed, will update once I've reached that point.