Tweedie's Lipstick Plant (Tweedie's Basket Vine) care

Light

Tweedie's Lipstick Plant is what florists mean by "bright spot, no direct sun" — close enough to a south or east window to feel the brightness, with a sheer curtain or a few feet of distance keeping the sun off the leaves. Place in bright, filtered light away from direct sun; an east- or north-facing windowsill or a spot set back from a south-facing window provides ideal conditions for growth and flowering. A phone lux-meter at the leaf surface should read 1,500-3,000 lux at noon.

Watering

Water tweedie's lipstick plant when top 2–3 cm of compost dry out. The actual day count varies with pot size, light, and season — the finger test (or lifting the pot to feel its weight) is more reliable than a fixed calendar. Empty any drainage saucer afterwards so the pot isn't sitting in water. Water thoroughly and drain completely, then wait until the top layer of compost is dry to the touch before rewatering; cold or hard water can cause leaf spotting — use room-temperature rainwater where possible.

Soil and pot

Tweedie's Lipstick Plant grows best in coarse epiphytic mix with excellent drainage. Combine fine orchid bark, perlite, and peat-free compost in equal proportions; the roots must never sit in standing water as this rapidly leads to rot in this epiphytic species. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Tweedie's Lipstick Plant sits happiest at around 60–75% humidity and 16–26°C (61–79°F). Thrives in moderate to high humidity; stand the pot on a tray of damp pebbles or mist lightly in the mornings to maintain moisture levels without creating stagnant air conditions. If you keep the room above 16–26°C year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed tweedie's lipstick plant sparingly. Feed fortnightly with a balanced or high-potassium liquid fertiliser diluted to half strength during spring and summer; withhold feeding in winter. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on tweedie's lipstick plant in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

• Bud drop before flowering — Sudden changes in temperature, cold draughts, or low humidity cause buds to drop before opening; keep the plant in a stable, warm, draught-free position and maintain humidity above 60%.
• Spider mites in dry conditions — Low indoor humidity encourages red spider mites, which cause fine stippling on leaves; raise humidity, wash foliage with a damp cloth, and apply a suitable miticide if the infestation is heavy.

Propagation

Stem-tip cuttings of 8–12 cm taken in spring or early summer, inserted into a free-draining propagating mix and kept at 22–24°C under a humidity dome until rooted (approximately 4 weeks). Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Tweedie's Lipstick Plant is pet-safe. Aeschynanthus (lipstick plant) is listed by the ASPCA as non-toxic to dogs, cats, and horses; incidental ingestion of foliage may cause mild gastrointestinal irritation in sensitive animals. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Tweedie's Lipstick Plant deep-dive guides

Every aspect of tweedie's lipstick plant care, each with its own calibrated guide:

• Common tweedie's lipstick plant problems & fixes
• Tweedie's Lipstick Plant watering schedule
• Tweedie's Lipstick Plant light requirements
• Best soil mix for tweedie's lipstick plant
• Tweedie's Lipstick Plant fertilizing guide
• When to repot tweedie's lipstick plant
• How to propagate tweedie's lipstick plant
• How to prune tweedie's lipstick plant
• What's eating my tweedie's lipstick plant?
• Tweedie's Lipstick Plant growth rate & size
• Tweedie's Lipstick Plant cold hardiness
• Tweedie's Lipstick Plant temperature & humidity
• Is tweedie's lipstick plant toxic to cats & dogs?
• Is tweedie's lipstick plant toxic to cats?
• Is tweedie's lipstick plant toxic to dogs?
• All 22 Aeschynanthus varieties

Featured in these plant shortlists

Tweedie's Lipstick Plant qualifies for 8 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

• Best pet-safe houseplants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs — every one verified against the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list.
• Best plants for a north-facing window — Houseplants for a north-facing window: bright, even, indirect light and no scorching direct sun. Each pick verified against its documented light needs.
• Best trailing & climbing houseplants — Vining and trailing houseplants for shelves, hanging pots, and moss poles — selected by growth habit.
• Best humidity-loving houseplants — Houseplants that thrive in a bathroom, kitchen, or by a humidifier — selected by documented humidity preference.
• Best pet-safe trailing & hanging plants — Trailing and climbing plants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs — safe for shelves and hanging pots in a pet home.
• Best pet-safe plants for bright light — Non-toxic to cats and dogs and happy in a bright, sunny spot — safe plants for your best-lit windowsill.
• Best cat-safe plants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats (and dogs) — safe greenery for a home with a curious cat.
• Best dog-safe plants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to dogs (and cats) — safe greenery for a home with a curious dog.
• Browse all 29 plant shortlists — pet-safe, low-light, drought-tolerant and more

Related guides

Tweedie's Lipstick Plant is also commonly called Tweedie's Lipstick Plant or Tweedie's Basket Vine.

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