Asarina or Maurandia

Asarina or Maurandia (lat. Asarina, Maurandia) — a genus of perennial flowering climbing or twining plants of the figwort family (Scrophulariáceae). The genus comprises about 15 species, mostly distributed in Mexico, the southwestern USA and southern Europe.

In cultivation: climbing asarina - Asarina scandens

A twining perennial grown as an annual, less often as a biennial; stems are branched, reaching 3–3.5 m in length. Leaves are rather small, somewhat resembling ivy leaves, dark green. Leaf petioles twine around any objects they touch.
The flowers are tubular, over 3 cm in diameter, white, pink, purple, blue, or lilac. Flowering lasts from June through autumn.

Location: A sunny, warm site protected from winds is required.

Soil: requires well-drained, fertile garden soil.

Care: needs additional watering during dry periods. Weekly fertilization is necessary (at the beginning of growth — nitrogen; during flowering — potassium-phosphorus). A support around which the plant will twine is essential.

Propagation: by seeds or cuttings. Annual seedlings can overwinter in a greenhouse or on a glazed balcony at 8–10°C. Specimens planted in spring after the last frosts grow especially vigorous — up to 4 m in height — and bloom as early as June.