Tropaeolum tricolor

Tropaeolum tricolor is a climbing nasturtium that is summer dormant growing and blooming from winter to spring. It is endemic to the cloud forests of Chile where it will grow to 6-9 feet tall with finely dissected leaves and numerous funnel-shaped red, yellow, green, and purple flowers. Tubers need to be lifted and stored over winter or mounded with protective mulch.

The hair-like stems of this tuberous, Chilean climber, clamber their way through and over shrubs or other surrounding vegetation. Clasping it's prehensile leaves delicately around twigs and branches it scales to a high and sunny vantage and there displays it's small but abundant tricolour blooms, each yellow flower peeping out from the green ruff of it's long spurred red hat. A winter grower it retreats to the cool sanctuary of it's underground tuber once temperatures climb much above 30°F, usually in late spring or early summer, and there comfortably waits out heat and drought until coolness and moisture entice it forth once more the following year. Demanding only of excellent drainage and summer dryness, any loose soil, sand or gravel will do but not clay, preferably under a deciduous shrub. Otherwise a pot of well drained potting mix kept barely moist and out of the sun over summer will be quite to it's liking.