This heirloom hybrid vine — a cross of Ipomoea coccinea and Ipomoea quamoclit — occupies an interesting corner of the morning glory family. Its parentage shows plainly: the leaves are more triangular and less finely divided than those of the Cypress vine (I. quamoclit), while the flowers inherit a vivid scarlet from both sides of the family, with small white or yellow markings at the throat. True to its common name, the blooms attract hummingbirds with dependable enthusiasm, and bees and butterflies follow. It reproduces true from seed — a notable trait for a hybrid — and will reseed where conditions suit it.

Cardinal Climber is adaptable and reasonably unfussy about soil, tolerating dryness if watered through dry spells and requiring no fertilizer unless the ground is genuinely impoverished. It can be trained vertically as a vine, allowed to sprawl as a ground cover, or grown in a container where its delicate foliage reads as almost tropical. Sow seed after the last frost, nicking the outer coat and soaking for 12 to 24 hours first to encourage germination. Rabbits and deer may browse young plants, so some protection early in the season is sensible. Once it is climbing and flowering, it becomes the kind of garden ornament that prompts questions from passersby.