Maiden's Jealousy

Other common names: Galphimia Vine, Golden Rod, Australian Gold Vine, 三星果

Maiden’s jealousy are hardy free-flowering vines that are commonly seen in rewilding areas, nature parks, in roadside gardens, and biodiversity-attracting gardens. The flowers are highly attractive to bees, birds, and butterflies. This plant is native to Singapore and is naturally found growing along coastal forest and the landward side of mangrove forests.

A perennial vine, maiden’s jealousy are useful as biodiversity-attracting plants and perimeter plants to add a pop of colour to any garden.

Sun and soil needs:

This plant thrives in 4-8 hours of direct sunlight. It can also tolerate areas with more than 6 hours of indirect sunlight, but may produce less flowers. Plants do best in pots with loamy soil at least 30cm deep, or in true ground. These plants are vulnerable to root rot, so ensure that your pots drain well, and that your soil has plenty of organic matter to let the roots breathe. This plant is a versatile climber that does well on a variety of trellises.

Growing:

Maiden’s jealousy are rapid growers and generally does not need fertilizing. The vine can rapidly grow up to 10m in height if it has a high enough trellis and will need to be pruned regularly. Regular pruning to promote airflow will keep the plant healthy and neat.

Propagation:

Maiden’s Jealousy can be grown from seed or woody cuttings with rooting hormone.

Common problems & solutions:

This plant is relatively resistant to pests and disease if kept healthy.

If your plant has few to no flowers, you can fertilise the plant with fertilisers high in phosphorus and potassium.

If the plant does not receive enough light, it will stop producing flowers. Prune surrounding plants or move the plant to a sunnier spot to promote flower growth.

Aphids, mealy bugs, whiteflies, and spider mites often infest the plant if it has underlying problems like repeated wilting from heat stress. Mechanical pest control methods like pruning the infested parts are the best methods for managing these pests in the short term, but resolving the underlying problem will prevent them in the long term.

Wilting may occur during periods of hot weather or from the lack of watering. Regular wilting will stunt plant growth. Increase the number of times a plant is watered, or use mulch to retain moisture in the soil.