What You Need To Know About Caring For A Lipstick Plant

Aeschynanthus radicans is native to Malaysia, which is a clear indicator that it prefers warm temperatures. Therefore, per Missouri Botanical Garden, it can only survive winters in USDA zones 10 and 11. If you live in a warm climate zone, go ahead and knock yourself out sprucing the duller parts of the yard with a flower that is sure to be the talk of your neighborhood. Remember, too, that because lipstick plants are epiphytes, they don't need to be grown in traditional potting soil. Like orchids, they can be situated in the nooks of tree branches where they'll receive everything they need to survive from the air, rainwater, and natural debris around them. Their evergreen vines will complement the woody trunks as the flowers add vibrant splashes of color.

Otherwise, if you prefer to use these plants as ornamental decorations throughout a garden that will experience cold weather, it would behoove you to keep them in hanging baskets that you can move indoors before the temperatures drop. Lipstick plants require bright ambient light, but direct sunlight will do more harm than good. Try planting it in a basket hung from a tree limb. That way, the plants will receive dappled light through the leaves of the canopy. The trailing vines would also do well trained along the underside of a pergola. Also, the tubular flowers are filled with nectar that will attract hummingbirds to your yard.

Starting by seed can be a little too labor-intensive for many of us, and if that's the case for you, consider propagating by cutting. It could be that you already have your own lipstick plant and want to cultivate more of it in other parts of the garden, or perhaps you visited a friend with one and were so taken by the unique flowers you found yourself refusing to leave until they let you take a piece of it home. (No shame, we've absolutely been there ourselves!) Either way, only take a cutting from a healthy plant, and if you're able to, snip off two or three 8 to 12-inch cuttings from the longest vines.

Cuttings from an Aeschyanthus should prove no more difficult than any other plant to propagate. You'll simply remove the leaves from the base of the stem and submerge the stem in water. The reason for taking a relatively long cutting is two-fold: The more leaf nodes (the points where you removed the original leaves) on each stem, the more opportunities for new roots to grow, and the longer the bare stem, the more balanced (less top-heavy) your cutting will be in the water. Roots grow faster in warm environments, so keep that in mind when finding the best sunny spot for your stems. Wait until you see roots developing at the points of the leaf nodes, and once they're about 1 inch long, move your cuttings into starter pots with nutrient-rich, well-aerated potting soil.

Winter is a time of rest for us, and many of our plant friends also appreciate a break. For flora care, that generally means cutting back on scheduled waterings, ceasing fertilization, and understanding that they can't all be in constant bloom. The reason plants need less water and no food throughout winter is that they temporarily stop growing as a natural response to receiving less light. This goes for both houseplants and garden plants we bring in for a few months at the end of autumn.

A warm-weather lipstick plant will tolerate slightly cooler temperatures throughout winter. Still, if the ground in your area goes below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, you will see leaves die off and fall from the stems (via NC State Extension Gardener). Bringing your plants indoors should avoid this, but there are caveats. Be careful not to place your Aeschynanthus close to heating vents. Also, keep it clear of cold air flowing in from drafty windows. Another aspect that requires attention is humidity since indoor heat sources can quickly suck the moisture out of the air, and these tropical vines are accustomed to year-round dampness. There are plenty of ways to raise the humidity level in your home. If you're not in a position to invest in a dedicated humidifier for that one rare plant you decided to cultivate this year, try regular misting or move it to the most humid area of your home, like a windowed bathroom, kitchen, or laundry room. A humidity level of 50% should be the minimum; try for higher if you can.

If you like the overall look of the lipstick plant but prefer something other than bold red flowers, there are a few other varieties worth checking out.

• Aeschynanthus radicans 'Tangerine' is pretty easy to figure out — same plant and flower structure, just orange blossoms instead of red. Similarly, the 'Jack' cultivar pictured above blooms in a bright yellow hue.
• Aeschynanthus radicans 'Curly' offers a different type of foliage altogether. Each leaf curls back towards the stem, so the vines resemble green holiday paper chains or Hoya carnosa rope plants.
• Aeschynanthus longicaulis goes by the common names of marmoratus and/or black pagoda. Until it blooms, you may have no idea it's from the lipstick genus; in fact, black pagodas also resemble other hoyas due to their thick, glossy, zebra-striped leaves.

There's a somewhat rare, cold, hardy lipstick plant cultivar that hails from the mountains of northern Vietnam, which would be the go-to option if you wish to make the most of your autumn garden and perhaps push some color into the winter months. Aeschynanthus buxifolius has a boxier shape to its leaves, so it gets its species epithet from Buxus (the boxwood genus name). Nursery Management notes that these winter warriors can survive temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, but 13 degrees proves too cold. Food for thought, depending upon where you live.

For the most part, lipstick plants do not have to deal with too many diseases or issues outside of the norm for indoor plants, but it will be important for you to keep an eye on potential root rot, notes NC State Extension Gardener. The species epithet of radicans actually refers to rotting stems, which are usually caused by improper watering. Too far gone, root rot is a condition that is very difficult to turn around. Sometimes you can trim back affected roots and allow them to dry out before repotting the plant in a more appropriate container. Missouri Botanical Garden also suggests potentially rooting cuttings from the shoots to grow a new plant, provided you can find healthy shoots.

Botrytis blight, also called gray mold, is known to be an issue for outdoor Aeschynanthus lipstick plants. Caused by Botrytis cinerea spores, per the University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources, this fungal disease may look like translucent spots at first. Still, they will turn brown as they infect every part of the plant until it eventually dies. In the yard, the mold spores breed in moist areas and among unattended piles of decaying debris. The spores are also airborne, so they can enter your home and infect houseplants, though less likely. It's most important to improve environmental conditions to avoid mold growth in the first place. Clear away and discard surrounding weeds and debris, remove naturally decaying parts of the plant (fallen leaves, spent flowers, etc.), and do what you can to ensure a good amount of airflow around the foliage.

A trusted nursery professional will be your best line of defense when putting together an overarching fertilization plan for your landscape or garden, but if you're focusing on a single lipstick plant, you'll be able to get by with general knowledge. Particularly for flowering plants, the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium (NPK) in a fertilizer formulation matters because each element helps a plant differently. For example, a fertilizer high in nitrogen will boost the growth of thick, green foliage, but it won't do anything to encourage blossoms. For more flowers, you might need to move away from a standard fertilizer with a balanced NPK ratio of 10:10:10 and, instead, find one with a higher phosphorous level. You'll see this labeled as 5:10:5.

A 2021 study from the National Symposium on Floriculture Research reviewed the efficacy of using gibberellic acid specifically to increase flower bud production in Aeschynanthus radicans lipstick plants. Defined by ScienceDirect as plant hormones that can regulate plant growth, gibberellic acids (or gibberellins) did, in fact, benefit bud growth in the study. They were applied in conjunction with a fertilizer that was lower in nitrogen and higher in both phosphorous and potassium. Science experiments in the garden can be fun, however, the EPA warns that too much phosphorous can produce harmful runoff in waterways. At the end of the day, be careful when working with chemical concoctions.