Excellent for indoor growing and perfect for hanging baskets, its cascading stems and bright orange blooms will brighten any room. The mottled foliage and shiny leaves add interest to its form. Flowers arise in clusters at the growing tips with each blossom having a coloration of deep orange-red to orange to yellow and green near the calyx. The protruding pistils add a defining accent. As is common in this genus, ‘Black Pagoda’ tolerates dryness with ease and prefers lower light. A native to tropical Asia, it flowers for us in late winter and spring.
Lipstick flower vine is a moisture-loving plant and needs to be kept moist but not too soggy. Water whenever the soil feels dry on the surface, adding water to the soil until the excess trickles from the drainage holes at the base of the pot. If the pot sits in a saucer, tip out the excess water after watering so the pot isn't sitting in a puddle. Reduce watering by half in winter when the weather is cool and the light is dim.
Lipstick flower vines feed moderately during the warmer months when they are actively growing. A balanced fertilizer, such as 10-10-10, or a blooming fertilizer, such as 7-9-5 or 5-10-3, also work well for feeding a blooming lipstick flower vine. Dilute the fertilizer in water and replace one watering per month with the solution to help support the plant's growth and blooming.
The plants bloom on mature growth, so pruning must take place after the flowers fade. Prune back the entire plant so the stems are 6 inches in length using very sharp, clean pruning shears. Cutting back the whole plant will encourage more dense, lush growth. Make the cut just above a pair of leaves to encourage branching.
