You rarely get an all-rounder when you buy a new plant. The Black-Eyed Susan comes pretty close. The only thing it can't do is survive the winter, but it makes up for it with other qualities. Have you acquired the beauty and would now like to know how you should care for the Thunbergia?
The right location and subsequent care are essential for healthy plant development. This is the only way she can give you what you expect from her. But trust us when we tell you that caring for it is anything but difficult.
What Black-Eyed Susanne can do
This specimen is a climbing plant that can not only grow very densely, but also produces beautiful flowers. If you are still thinking about whether you should get this plant, here is a short profile, where we will discuss the site conditions and care needs later:
- Climbing plant with climbing aidorHanging plant without trellis
- Growth height: between 120 and 150 cm
- fast growing: 20 cm per week
- Long flowering period: from June to October
- Flower colors: white, yellow, orange or mixed
- suitable for buckets
- annual
- not hardy, but sensitive to frost
- notpoisonous, flowers are even edible (theoretically all parts of the plant, but the flowers are considered tasty)
Caring for Thunbergia as a pot or garden plant?
Should the black-eyed Susan remain in the pot or should it be planted in the garden? Both are possible.
- In general: outdoors is the better option for every plant.
- If you can provide the Thunbergia with the right location in the garden, plant it out after purchase.
- The pot should be larger so that the flower can develop well.
Trellis, or not?
In principle, you can decide for yourself, depending on what you want from the garden or potted plant.
- Would you like to cultivate climbing plants that may even help you?serves as a privacy screen(yes, this is also possible with potted plants), you definitely need a climbing aid. The shoots are not stable enough to grow tall without a trellis. You can also plant it on a pergola.
- If you don't use a trellis, you can get a hanging plant so that you can use the Susan to plant hanging pots, but also supporting walls on garden slopes.
- The shoots should not creep or rest on the ground, as this can cause rot in the long term.
Which location the climbing plant needs
As with all plants, the light/sun conditions and also the soil conditions play an important role.
- The right location
The sunny and warm location is optimal for the plant, which comes from Africa. This is also the reason why it cannot tolerate frost and should not be moved into the garden too early. Mid-May is usually the right time, as there is no longer any danger of late frost.
Also, pay attention to the usual weather in your area. Since the Susanne cannot tolerate excessive rain, it should be protected from it if possible if it often rains from the sky. Many rainy days usually also mean lower temperatures. Since the Thunbergia likes it warm, in this case you should at least offer it a place protected from the wind.
You can usually control the whole thing more easily in the pot and move it around if necessary. However, if the flower goes outdoors, you should think carefully about the location in advance.
- Which soil does Thunbergia prefer?
There are a few things to consider when it comes to soil conditions, although the plant can also thrive in normal soil. Whether sandy or clayey doesn't matter. Even if your garden soil is calcareous, you don't have to worry.
However, the black-eyed Susan needs sufficient nutrients for its lush growth, which is why you should fertilize regularly if your soil is rather nutrient-poor. A humus-rich soil with a pH value around neutral is recommended.
Thunbergia cultivate lush growth
So your black-eyed Susanne is now happily in her new place. What now?
- irrigation
If possible, the soil should never dry out. However, you should also make sure to remove the excess water, as waterlogging has a negative and long-term effect on the number of flowersthe roots rot, which leads to the death of the Thunbergia.
- How to fertilize the black-eyed Susan
As already mentioned, nutrient-rich soil is important. You can use suitable potting soil in the pot, but in the garden it is best to mix compost or other organic fertilizer (e.g. horn meal or shavings) into the potting soil.
The hungry plant will use up the added nutrients quite quickly, so from now on you should give it liquid fertilizer every 2 weeks. This gives it everything it needs for its fast, dense and flower-rich growth.
- Help the climbing plant
Before it is able to climb itself up the trellis, you may need to give the plant a little help in the first few weeks. To do this, simply guide longer shoots that do not seem to find the trellis in the right direction with your hand and carefully wrap them around the trellis.
Danger:Remember that the shoots always wind counterclockwise and this is exactly how you should wrap them if necessary.
Check the plant regularly so you can redirect stray shoots in a timely manner. Be careful when loosening.
How to overwinter the climbing plant
While you are caring for your Thunbergia, you may soon (at the end of the season at the latest) ask yourself what to do with it in the winter. You're probably even wondering if it even makes sense when it's actually an annual plant.
Planted Thunbergia will not survive the winter. Alreadyfrom the first frostthey start to die off. However, potted plants can be overwintered, which is not complicated but is actually unnecessary. The flowers will be less abundant in the coming season, so it is more worthwhile to simply sow the flower again.
If you still want to test wintering:
- Bring the Susanne to her winter quarters in good time. The temperatures should not have fallen below 10 degrees yet.
- The same temperature is also optimal for the entire wintering period.
- Water more sparingly. The climbing plant should neither dry out nor be constantly wet. However, overwatering is an increased risk in winter as the pots dry out more slowly, which is often something people forget about and continue watering as usual.
- Fertilizenot.
- Cut back Thunbergia completely in February.
