Clerodendrum

Growing in Pots, Balconies & Indoors

Glorybower (Clerodendrum) is a 1-2.5 m (3-8 ft) flowering shrub or vine that the grower grows well in containers but not as a houseplant. It makes a showy, clustered-flowered patio plant, and a pot lets you move tender types under cover for winter.

Quick Details

• Container Size: A container 100-200% larger than the root ball (the grower’s guide); a large tub for a mature plant
• Indoor Suitability: Not a houseplant; grow it outdoors in a container
• Best Spot: Full sun to half shade – warm and bright
• Soil & Drainage: Rich, well-drained mix – potting mix or peat soil with perlite
• Watering in Pots: Average to generous – keep the mix moist; mulch the surface to hold moisture

Indoors & On the Windowsill

• Houseplant limits: The grower does not list it as an indoor plant – it needs strong light to flower.
• Overwintering: Many types are frost-tender; in cold climates a pot lets you shelter it in a bright, frost-free spot over winter.

On a Balcony or Patio

• Light & wind: Give it the sunniest spot; walls, railings and paving throw back heat so pots dry quickly – check moisture often and shelter or stake it on an exposed, windy balcony.
• Practicalities: Account for the weight of a full pot and make sure drainage water can run away freely without staining the balcony.

Choosing the Pot, Soil & Long-Term Care

• Pot & drainage: Use a pot with strong drainage holes and skip a standing-water saucer to avoid root rot; terracotta breathes and dries faster, while glazed or plastic holds moisture longer.
• Potting mix: Well-aerated and organic-rich – a quality potting mix, or peat/coir with perlite or vermiculite.
• Feeding: Potted plants use up their soil faster as nutrients leach out with each watering – feed lightly through the growing season.
• Repotting: As the grower notes, container drainage declines after a few years – refresh with new mix, and add organic matter and fertilizer at least once a year.

Grower’s Container Tip

• Grower’s container method: Choose a container 100-200% bigger than the root ball, or use a smaller pot and cut the roots back at planting. Use potting mix or peat soil with perlite. After a few years the soil’s drainage stops working as well, so change it for fresh mix, and feed with organic matter and fertilizer at least once a year.

Bloom & Flower Guide

Quick Details

• Bloom Season: Autumn into winter in the tropics; spring in cooler areas
• Time to First Bloom: Once the plant is established, within a year or two
• Flower Appearance: Clusters of bell- to bowl-shaped flowers, sometimes butterfly-like, in red, pink, orange, blue, white or purple
• Edibility: Ornamental / none

Detailed Blooming Overview

Glorybower is grown for its generous clusters of colourful flowers, which open in autumn and winter where it is warm and in spring in cooler gardens. Depending on the species the blooms may be bell- or bowl-shaped, or lighter and almost butterfly-like, in shades of red, pink, orange, blue, white and purple — often with showy contrasting calyces that hold their colour after the petals drop. Many are fragrant and draw butterflies.

Flower Characteristics

• Bell- to bowl-shaped flowers, sometimes butterfly-like, borne in clusters.
• Wide colour range: red, pink, orange, blue, white and purple.
• Frequently fragrant and attractive to butterflies.

Bloom Care & Thinning

• Managing the bloom: Deadhead spent clusters and prune after flowering to shape the plant and encourage the next flush.
• Pollination & wildlife: Leave the flowers to feed butterflies and other pollinators.