I’ve always wanted to grow Cypress Vines (also called Star Glory) and was really happy to find the seed packets for sale.
I know some people can’t stand any type of vines and think they are messy to grow and get rid of. But I am some of the few folks that love climbing flowering vines, from morning glories to clematis.
These tiny red star shaped blooms are a nice contrast to the green fern like leaves. Unlike morning glory, the bright flowers stay open all day long. Photo from Missouri Plants.
When I see photos of Cypress Vines and morning glories, I always think of my father. Like myself, he also loved to grow flowering vines.
My father had grown Cypress Vines in the entrance of our tropical childhood home in Thailand. Every time I left or entered the front door, I felt like the plants were greeting me. The leaves were very soft to touch and looked very green and fuzzy. Actually more feathery. And the bright red star shaped flowers were so cheerful.
I never knew what was the official name of this plant. At one point, I thought they were asparagus ferns. Except those plants have sharp pointy needle like tips and bright red berries. Definitely not the same plant!
The seeds I got are from Burpee, seeds originated from Holland. They are bright flowered vines with Cardinal-scarlet, trumphet-shaped booms. They can grow up to 15′. I am thinking of letting them climb up a trellis or maybe the fence. Maybe weaving some fishing line would work too. But I want to make sure it really holds up well. 
Image from , “The vines attach themselves to supports and don’t need to be tied. You can aim the vines in the direction you want them to go by twisting them on to a trellis or other structure.” It’s look like hummingbirds really like them too. And possibly bees and other pretty pollinators.
The seeds are really tough and remind me of small morning glory seeds. Directions: To aid germination, soak seed overnight. Sow in average soil in full sun after danger of frost. Sow about 3″ apart and cover with 1/2″ of fine soil. Firm lightly and keep evenly moist. Seedlings emerge in 7-21 days. Thin to stand about 8″ apart when seedlings are 1″ high.
I hope my seeds don’t take too long to germinate or I may soon forget about them. Either way, we have a Mediterranean climate in our area and hopefully this will grow and bloom up until winter. And if the plants do well, I will never have to worry about buying new seeds. As these flowers will have tons of seeds for next year’s planting.
4:55 pm on June 16th, 2010
I recall this flower from my childhood also. We used to pick and play house with it like pretense cooking.
I found that if you let the seeds fall on the ground, they’ll come up on the same spot the following year and they look a lot healthier than us trying to plant the seedlings. I have chili peppers and coxcomb flowers to grow this way and they look very healthy.
12:37 am on June 20th, 2010
It must be a common Thailand flower. Our tropical home in Thailand was really a temporary house in the camp. I can’t remember as much of camp life as my older brother, but the flower (and tropical fruits) are some of my best memories.
And thanks for the growing tip. I’ll have to see if my seeds will grow and try to plant them this summer. Maybe next summer it will be even nicer.
2:16 pm on September 2nd, 2013
this vine is pretty but it will take over and kill everything in its path love the looks of it. It will need to climb on something will go all around your fence no matter how long it is, will go for miles if you let it and very hard to kill