For those of you who have paid a visit to HortPark recently, you may have spotted some beautiful moonflower vines growing on the wall of one of the Gardens by the Bay’s experimental glasshouses that are located at the rear of the park.
Large clusters of lush foliage featuring heart-shaped leaves hang down from the wire supports and what stood out against the green were the large, white, trumpet-shaped flowers of the moonflower. What a sight! The look of the area where the moonflowers were growing gave me an impression as if I seeing this floral display in a temperate country.
It was not too late in the evening and the sky was still bright. I reckoned the time was about 6 pm when I took the photograh but the moonflowers were already fully opened.
Below the moonflower vines, groundcover plants with a prostrating habit were grown to mask the ugly soil surface. The numerous, dainty and colourful flowers that these groundcover plants produce helped to create a vivid parade of colours that was visually pleasing in the day when the moon vines were not in flower. Some of the plants that were used for this important purpose include the Busy Lizzie (Impatiens spp.) which are close relatives of the common Balsam Plant, as well as, the common lantana plant (Lantana camara).
To create a similar spectacle in your garden, it is essential that the location where you want to create it receives direct sunshine for a large part of the day. Many of these flowering vines and shrubs need strong sunshine to grow and flower well.
Soil has to be well-draining and fertile. Do make it a point to water frequently, as many of these plants are very thirsty individuals. They should never be allowed to dry out!
Space the moonflower vines apart adequately and do prune the vines back a bit occasionally so as to allow light to shine through and down to the groundcover plants below. If the groundcover plants are shaded excessively, they will develop an ugly, straggly growth habit and flowering will be inhibited.
