Sorry, no help for you. It is a very attractive plant though. We always call Nasturtiums annuals, not perennials, since they die in our winters. I haven't raised any vining ones, just the regular floppy ones.

Poke it in the ground and let 'er rip. They don't like well amended soil, and will not do well. They want poorer soil, but do need watering. They filled up a whole hillside under a bunch of oaks where we used to live (Monterey County, California). Lived through chilly winters on steep hillside without frost. May get nasty black aphids. Mine in pots DO, the ones on the hillside didn't.

Some kinds are mounding, and will stay put, reseeding where they're planted. Some kinds are trailing, and will spread like crazy if they live at all. My IL's had them under a redwood tree, and BIL had to dig them back to the stone edging every summer, because they spread out 6 feet past it. On the other hand, if they go too far and somebody walks on it and crushes it, it's not the end of the world, the main plant will keep growing, and just the crushed tip will look puny.

I agree with minflick ..see the pictures to get a better idea.

With ordinary soil and no fertilizer - http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5755/2312/1024/DSCF4732.jpg

With good soil and some fertilizer -
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5755/2312/1024/DSCF4738.jpg

That's a cute one. I grew Nasturiums from seeds last year and they came on well. My mistake was planting them in a really, really hot part of the yard where they received reflective heat from a fence. They held on for quite a while but finally gave up the ghost in late summer. I will probably try them again next year in a kinder location. Plus you know the flowers are edible right?

Kate

I thought the variegated types were called 'Alaska' or something.

Looks like Alaska. I had those a few years ago on purpose and then every year since by volunteer :) One of them last year did indeed vine through another flower bed, wrapping itself, its leaves, around whatever stood in its path... I didn't even know nasturtiums did that.

I rediscovered the joy of nasturtiums a couple of years ago. I always avoided them since they were so common and so easy and after-all, there were tons of new and improved annuals to try every year. Now I don't think I could be without them. Great filler plants and love the way many of them vine their way through everything else. As long as they get the water they need, the foliage and flowers are just beautiful.

Kevin

The only one I know of that has the variegated leaf is 'Alaska' which has an apricot flower. It makes a great trailer in a container. Haven't tried it as a vine.

minflick - thanks for all that information .. I am glad I bought this now

carygardener - wow those are beautiful

Kate - I didn't realize that until I started looking around about the plant..it's leaves really caught my eye as I was walking around the garden center and bought it before I ever knew what to do with it lol

newskye and Kevin - I guess by "vines" it will be something that sort of flows through the garden on the ground..not something I could train up a fence... hmm

prairiemoon - I will have to keep an eye on it and see what I can make it do LOL

I love them and grow them from seed every year. The flowers are edible kind of pepper tasting, but not bad in salad.

The leaves are always so pretty when they have morning dew on them. I have never seen the verigated ones before only the common bright jewel mix of yellows and oranges. They are very pretty.

hope you enjoy them and get to save the seeds for next year. Thats how I replant mine every year, just collect the seeds.

Karyn

Saving seeds...hmmmmm.....

Well..let's see..this is my first attempt at a nice new garden...I think saving seeds is a WHOLE OTHER STORY lol...

Guess I had better start reading on how to do that haha

My neighbor saves seeds every year for hers with great success. She has more patience than I do:)

Kate

Ooh, saving nasturtium seeds has got to be one of the easiest plants to save seeds for! They grow in clusters of 3 or so and are nice and big, easy to see and collect, unlike some of the tiny-as-dust seeds other plants produce. I save hundreds each year, and still enough of them fall to volunteer like crazy. I could carpet my neighborhood in nasturtiums with the amount of seed I have here.

I love this plant, I think Alaska is one variety that's variegated with orange flowers. Mine don't get buggy and they do OK in my slightly amended soil. The more sun the bigger they get. They are a trailer, never tried them as a vine but don't think they'd do well as they don't twine like a clematis. Mine tend to bloom best in mid-late summer and they will go well into fall even through a few light frosts. Sometimes they do reseed themselves.

An update...

I had one in the ground and one in a pot (only because I hadn't gotten around to planting)

The one in the pot bloomed!

{{gwi:227399}}

the one in the ground hasn't...

For those of you who have Alaska...is that what this is?

Thanks!