If you know the genus and species of this month’s mystery plant, you could win a free year’s subscription to Fine Gardening. If you’re already a subscriber, we’ll add a year onto your subscription.

Send your entry by February 29, 2008 to [email protected] with “Mystery Plant #30 – February” in the subject line. The winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries.

Last month’s mystery plant was the black-eyed Susan vine, Thunbergia alata, and more specifically the cultivar ‘Blushing Susie’. Black eyed Susan vine is a tropical African vine almost always grown as an annual in temperate climates. It’s a charming, old-fashioned addition to the garden, and while it is usually grown for its yellow, gold, or occasionally white blooms with dark throats, new cultivars are emerging that offer more color choices. ‘Blushing Susie’ combines all shades of red, along with pinks, salmons, and apricots, all on the same plant. Seeds of black-eyed Susan vine can be sown directly in the ground or in containers in spring after the soil has warmed. The plants prefer full sun and moist, well-drained soil, and will reward you accordingly with masses of 1½-inch-wide flowers from summer to fall on vines that can reach 3 to 8 feet long. Lu Anne Copeland of Chesapeake, Virginia, was chosen at random from all correct entries to receive a free one-year subscription to Fine Gardening. Congratulations, Lu Anne!