Malabar!

I've posted a little about the Malabar spinach vines earlier this summer, but the plants are doing so well and I like them so much I thought I'd dedicate a whole post to them.

Another minimally-worded post, but I think the photos will speak for themselves again.

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These are annual vines with thick, glossy leaves and wonderfully red stems. Everything about the plant is "thick" and beautiful:

The tiny, tiny flowers are everywhere. I'm glad to see that size doesn't matter to the bees -- it's the quantity that matters -- because there are bees and wasps of all types all around these plants:

In the sunlight the vines almost fluoresce with reddish-purple brilliance:

But even in the shade they're so beautiful, a perfect contrast to the dark green foliage:

Of course since it is a vine, it can get a little out of hand, winding itself around other plants and whatever is nearby:

But that's okay by me -- I expect the vines I plant to do this. I think I'd be disappointed in a vine that didn't sort of take over the structure it was intended to climb.

The tiny flowers each quickly turn into dark berries -- there are thousands of them:

Do birds eat them? I don't know. I have a feeling that I'll be seeing Malabar spinach seedlings all over the place next year though. Maybe they'll give the cypress vine seedlings some competition.

Even if I don't see it reseeding itself, I'm definitely growing this again next year!

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