Podranea ricasoliana is fast-growing and easy in cultivation. It does best in full sun, in nutrient-rich, well-drained soil and benefits greatly from regular applications of well-rotted compost and plenty of water in summer. An established plant is tolerant of heat, strong sunlight, wind and periods of drought. It is tolerant of light frost and should survive a winter minimum of -7ºC / 20ºF (zone 9) although it is better suited to frost-free gardens. Young plants require protection from frost, and if an established plant is cut down by frost, it should resprout in the spring. Because it is so vigorous and so fast it can get a bit out of control and may grow into gutters and roof overhangs and into trees, particularly in subtropical regions. It will need pruning to be kept neat; to keep it down to shrub size it should be pruned back hard every year. Pruning will also improve flowering. The best time for pruning is in winter or early spring just before new growth commences. It is known to sprout where prunings have been thrown, and it is an invasive, garden-escape in parts of Queensland and New South Wales in Australia and in New Zealand.

This is an excellent plant for arbors, pergolas and carports and is a valuable shade-giving plant in a hot climate. It is ideal for an informal hedge or planted against a wall or a fence to create a screen. It is a useful rambling ground cover for an embankment as the stems root wherever they touch the soil, forming large, swollen water- and soil-holding root clumps. It is suitable for the coastal garden. It looks good in a large container and is a candidate for espalier and can be pruned and trained into a weeping standard. It has no tendrils, so it has to be tied to supports. Port St Johns creeper mixes with Bauhinia galpinii, Plumbago auriculata, and Tecomaria capensis, providing an interesting intermingling of colours. It is not a good cut flower as the flowers drop quite soon after cutting.

This is not generally a pest-ridden plant. You may find tip/twig wilters, also called black stinkbugs or dahlia bugs (Anoplocnemis curvipes), on young shoots, and aphids on the flower buds.

Propagation is by seed, cuttings or layering.

Although a proportion of the seed may be infertile, about 50% should germinate. Seed should be sown in spring or during summer, in a well-drained seedling mix, and need only be covered lightly with the sowing mix, clean coarse sand or milled bark to stop it from blowing away. The trays should be kept moist in a warm but shaded position. Germination should occur in 3-4 weeks and the seedlings potted up after the first pair of true leaves have developed.

Semi-ripe hardwood and/or hardwood cuttings can be taken in spring or during summer. They do not require mist or bottom heat to root, but are best in a covered frame in a well aerated medium e.g. equal parts peat and polystyrene. Rooting period is 6 weeks, with another 6 weeks weaning period.

Podranea ricasoliana can also be propagated by means of layering, or by removing side branches that have rooted by themselves. To encourage Podranea to root by layering, take a low growing stem, lay it along the ground without breaking it off the mother plant, bend the tip to a vertical position, stake it in place and bury or cover the part that is touching the ground with soil. The roots should form at the sharp bend, but inflicting a wound on the lower bent side may also help. Keep the soil moist and remove when a sizeable root ball has developed.