Tropaeolum polyphyllum

RHS Plant Profile
yellow lark's heels

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Other common names

yellow rock Indian cress

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Herbaceous Perennial
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A herbaceous scrambling plant growing from long tubers to a spread of 1m or more. Rich yellow flowers with long spurs appear throughout summer over a mass of blue-green lobed leaves

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Sand, Loam, Chalk

Max Height

Up to 10 cm

Max Spread

1-1.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
1-1.5 metres
Max Height
Up to 10 cm

Growing Conditions

Sand Loam Chalk
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H3

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Tropaeolaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Trailing
Potentially harmful
Skin allergen. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling
Genus
Tropaeolum can be annuals or perennials, bushy, trailing or climbing by twining stems, with simple or palmately lobed leaves and showy funnel-shaped flowers with five long-clawed petals and often a spur
Name Status
Correct
Plant Range
C Chile to NW Argentina

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in a sheltered scree, gravel garden, raised bed or large rock garden. Useful ground cover. Plant into well-drained, but moist soil in full sun

Propagation

Propagate by division of tubers in spring or by seeds as soon as ripe, or by basal softwood cuttings in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Rock garden
  • Gravel garden
  • Coastal
  • Low Maintenance
  • Banks and slopes
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Ground cover

Pruning

No pruning required. Cut back at the end of the season

Pests

May be susceptible to glasshouse whitefly and glasshouse red spider mite and whitefly

Diseases

Generally disease-free