Plant name: Balsam apple   

Botanical name: Momordica balsamina

Suggested by: Peggy Cornett, Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants

Virtues: Fast-growing and carefree; covers a trellis quickly with dense, lush foliage; bears warty bright orange fruits that burst open when ripe.

Flower: Delicate, pale yellow and simple.

Foliage: Very clean, glossy, light green, deeply lobed and serrated.

Habit: Vining to at least 15 feet.

Season: Midsummer through frost.

Companions: Cypress vine, balsam pear and just about any summer-flowering display.