Cypress vine: Little trumpet flower that attracts hummingbirds
By Xu Chenlu
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For gardeners, the wait after the seed is sowed into the soil till a tiny sprout finally emerges is the hardest. However, those who choose to grow cypress vine easily escape this agony. It sprouts fast, grows fast with little care, and instantly you have hundreds of little flowers that look like trumpets hanging on vines.

Cypress vine flowers in Xiaogan City, central China's Hubei Province. /VCG Photo

Cypress vine flowers in Xiaogan City, central China's Hubei Province. /VCG Photo

Cypress vine is a fast growing, flowering vine. It can sprout within a week after planting, and soon the vines begin to grow and climb, quickly covering their support. 
With an abundance of bright, several white, red and pink star-shaped flowers bloom in no time. 

Close-up of a cypress vine flower. /VCG Photo

Close-up of a cypress vine flower. /VCG Photo

Cypress vine is native to South America, and is now widely cultivated in temperate and tropical areas. In China, it's grown as a decorative plant in gardens or in baskets hanging in homes and offices.

If you live in an area with a considerable population of hummingbirds, you will find that they are the common visitors to cypress vine since it is one of the best flowers to attract these lovely creatures. But for gardeners that live in areas with no or less hummingbirds, butterflies that are attracted to the bright blooms are also beautiful to watch.

Hummingbirds are common visitors to cypress vines. /VCG Photo

Hummingbirds are common visitors to cypress vines. /VCG Photo

Cypress vine is one of the easiest plants to grow. It prefers a rich, well-drained soil with fences or other forms of support for it to climb. Full sun and daily moisture will make it grow faster. Usually within 50 days, the plant can gift you a colorful bloom.

Read more from the series "Season of Flower": 

(Cover image via VCG, designed by CGTN's Li Jingjie)

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