Ask John Negus John has been answering reader queries for 50 years
Spanish beauty
Q Can you please identify this plant for me that grew among my coleus plants?
C. Jones-Evans (via email)
A The plant in question is Spanish flag (Ipomaea lobata). A perennial climber related to morning glory (Ipomoea tricolor), it’s a native of Central and South America.
Usually raised from seed sown in gentle heat in March or April, seedlings are hardened off and planted outdoors when frosts finish in late May or early June.
It has great appeal when adorning an arch or trellis, where its tubular scarlet flowers, maturing to orange and yellow and finally white, command
