#monasterybells

Plant of the Day

Wednesday 1 December 2021

In tropical America the climber Cobaea scandens (cup-and-saucer vine, cathedral bells, Mexican ivy, monastery bells) grows as a strong woody perennial but in Britain it is usually grown as a vigorous annual. In this walled garden, which was producing cut flowers, it was used to cover these screens during the summer and has a few last flowers before the frosts begin. The fragrant, bell-shaped flowers change from greenish-white to purple and in its native habitat these are pollinated by bats.