Give me red!

If you want to paint your garden red during winters grow Clerodendrum splendens. Beside its foliage and floral elegance, it will also give the warmth of red in the chilly weather. Your garden lights up in foggy and dull winters as soon as this plant starts flowering. 

The charm of Clerodendrum is not confined to winters, its dense foliage remains intact even during hot summer months and lends a cooling effect. The artistically-shaped leaves give a soothing effect during peak summers as well.

Clerodendrum splendens is a beautiful spring flowering vine, a native to tropical western Africa. But it flourishes equally well in the region also. It is woody to semi-woody, evergreen, twining climber which can grow up to 12 ft. The ovate, lustrous dark green, glossy, coarse, deeply-veined leaves are ornamental in appearance and create a rich and lustrous backdrop. The leaves maintain their form and composition almost all through the year. The crimson flowers are borne in dense terminal clusters. The flowers are extremely showy and burst into bloom immediately when severe cold gets mild or warmer. 

The flowers keep on appearing periodically but the threshold comes in the early spring as freezing winter approaches its end. The floral elegance judiciously compensates the absence of fragrance. Flowers attract, humming birds, butterflies and human eyes. Here are some important points that should be kept in mind while growing  Clerodendrum in your home garden:

Location

This plant performs lavishly in a sunny location, but it flourishes quite well even at a shady place or a wall facing north. As sunlight also bring the desired warmness for flowering to commence. Likewise, plants in south-west area will bloom early due to the reduction in chill which forms terminally or auxiliary floral buds.    

Suitable for

Clerodendrum splendens is excellent flowering vine for trellis, making a bower, over Gazebo, low security room roof, small verandah, porch, window projections, pillar and on a wall. The support frame can be made of light wood or of metal bars.

Propagation

Propagation is done during the rainy season by separating the root suckers and through air or ground layering.

Pruning

It is a very vigorously growing vine but not invasive in habit. It requires heavy pruning immediately after the rainy season for controlling and containing the sprawling vine. Dead or diseased  parts can be removed any time of the year.

Maintenance  

Slow and deep irrigation should be done rather shallow irrigation. Remember, winter injury is from drying out, not cold temperatures. 

Well decomposed farm yard manure must be given immediately after the rainy season in September. Thereafter a dose of N-P-K (nitrogen-phosphorus- potassium) in October and another in November keeps the climber in vigour and gear up for a spectacular display of flowers.