Hi, this is Yolanda Vanveen, and in this segment
we're going to learn all about the Black Eyed Susan vine, or Thunbergia Alata. Now, the
Black Eyed Susan vine is not a Black Eyed Susan in any way. It is not a Rudbeckia Hirta,
it's not related to Echinacea. It's a totally different plant. It grows on a vine, so it's
not like a daisy; it's a very different plant. The Black Eyed Susan vine, or the Thunbergia
Alata was named after the Swedish botanist, Dr. Carl Peter Thunberg, who collected it
in Africa and Japan. Now, it's native to Africa, and to the tropical areas, so the northern
part of Africa, so it does really well in warm climates. It does not want to go below
fifty degrees, so you want to dig it up, or don't start it in the seeds in the ground
till after it's fifty degrees outside. So, the Thunbergia likes really filtered sunlight.
They don't want full, hot sun. They grow best in part shade, but really a hot shade, so
under a patio, or along the fence or the house where the afternoon sun is just a little bit
shaded, because if they get that hot afternoon sun sometimes they get sunburned. So, they
are jungle plant. They like to grow in the jungle. They like a little bit of a canopy
on top of em', but yet they really want it warm, and very moist and humid. So, they're
a little bit of a challenge if you live in a cold climate, but if you start em' indoors
by seed early and get em' going, and then put em' outside when it's over fifty degrees
at night continuously then they will grow into this gorgeous vine with little Black
Eyed Susan flowers all over it. They'll bloom through the fall till' ever, till' it freezes
again. And then, just cut em' back and either try to save em' inside, but most of the times
they're a annual and they'll die back, and then you just start em' by seed again in the
spring. They're a beautiful plant.