About
Codonopsis clematidea is a herbaceous vine that can reach heights of up to 1.5 meters. It features slender, branching stems adorned with narrow, ovate leaves that emit an unpleasant odor when crushed. In late summer, the plant produces nodding, bell-shaped flowers that are pale blue with dark purple-blue markings on the interior and a central eye that displays yellow and black. These blooms appear at the ends of the stems.
About the genus
Codonopsis consists of upright, bushy, or climbing herbaceous perennials featuring fleshy or tuberous roots. These plants have simple leaves and produce bell-shaped or star-shaped blooms during the summer, often displaying intricate veining.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- East-facing, South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H5
Plant details
- Plant type
- Climber Wall Shrub
- Habit
- Climbing
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 1-1.5 metres
- Spread
- 1-1.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Cottage and informal garden
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Thrives in light, fertile, moist but well-drained soil in sun or part shade, with shelter from strong winds. Will happily scramble through shrubs to give a second flush of flowers. Plants die back to overwinter as tubers and can be late to emerge in spring, will benefit from a winter mulch in colder regions
- Pruning
- Cut back faded stems in late autumn
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed sown in containers in a cold frame in autumn
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to slugs and snails
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free