These are all beautiful climbers, or occasionally speading over the ground, usually with bright colours. Some are yellow, others orange, bright red, even blue. They all originate from South America. Some are easy and vigorous, but others are more tricky, best grown in pots with protection from excessive winter wet.

Tropaeolum speciosum can look wonderful, climbing up a dark-leaved tree or shrub, perhaps a yew hedge or a rhododendron, with its trailing, slender stems carrying a succession of scarlet flowers, followed by pairs of dark blue fruit. Some people find it hard to establish. For others, it can be a little too vigorous, its thin, white roots spreading underground, and the long stems covering its host. In such a case, control it by breaking off the excess shoots early in the season.