Bell vines are among the most popular climbing plants and serve as optimal privacy screens. But be careful: you must not plant the plant out too early.
Sometimes a privacy screen in the garden is essential. After all, the neighbor doesn't have to see everything either. There is a large selection of privacy protection options. But even if gabions, wicker fences, bamboo mats etc. are very popular, climbing plants are being used more and more nowadays. A great classic among climbing plants as a privacy screen is the bell vine. As early as July, it convinces with an evergreen and magnificently flowering privacy screen.
But for the lush flowers it is important that the plant is not put into the bed too early, because it is very sensitive to frost.
Prefer bell vines from February
Bell vines are among the frost-sensitive plants that should not be planted outdoors before mid-May. You can start growing in a protected environment as early as the second half of February.
Leave the seeds in water for a day to improve germination. Fill a seed tray with a mixture of slightly damp garden or potting soil and some sand.
Distribute the seeds about four to five centimeters apart on the substrate and cover the bowl with cling film. Put the tray in a bright place with a temperature of around 20 °C and air it once a day for the next few days. Moisten the substrate with water mist from the spray bottle. After about 18 days the seeds will start to germinate and you can remove the foil. As soon as the seedlings are strong enough, they are transplanted into individual pots with small sticks as climbing aids.
The optimal location in the garden
Bell vines require sandy to loamy soil with a slightly acidic, neutral or slightly alkaline pH. The plants tolerate lime well, need a lot of nutrients and love a humus-rich subsoil. Garden soil, enriched with mature compost, meets the requirements of the bell vine very well. In addition, the location should be sunny and sheltered from the windhave a suitable climbing aid. This can be a fence, a pergola, or just about any structure that provides enough support for the rapidly growing tendrils of the bell vine.
Put bell vines in the ground
After the ice saints, the little plants are planted outdoors. If the effort of growing is too great for you, you will also find ready-to-plant bell vines in many garden shops at this time. Soak the root ball in water for a few minutes and dig planting holes twice the width of the root ball. The planting distance should be around 30 centimetres.
Place the bell vines in the planting holes, pile up the soil and tie the tendrils to the trellis with twine or very thin wire. Do this very carefully. The tendrils are still very tender and break quickly if handled roughly. Finally, water the newly planted bell vines vigorously.