Mucuna Vine starting to bloom

Here is one that you don't see often. This is a fairly big vine, but it is hard to photograph because it is sharing a trellis with several different passifloras. These are the first flowers to show themselves, but there are many more racemes yet to open. I'll photograph the vine again when it is in full bloom. In the meantime here are a few shots.

I've had this vine for a couple of years now. It only produced a few racemes last year, but this year, it has many, many more. It probably takes a few years to get well-established.

I should mention that this is the Mucuna hybrid that Logee's sells, probably a hybrid of Mucuna bennettii.

One more:

Very nice, I like it muchly.

Thanks, Linda. It is a stunning color:-)

Clare! That is just beautiful! Those flowers look almost just like erythrina bidwilli flowers. They are the brightest red I've ever seen.

How cold can that one tolerate?

Hi Kay and thanks! They do sort of look like Erythrina bidwilli flowers, don't they? The red in Mucuna might be a little more orange perhaps. This one grows outside for me, and it doesn't get much below 40 here. I think it can probably stand temps just above freezing. This is a big vine, but I cut it nearly to the ground after it flowered this year, and it came back in a huge way. I think it flowers on new wood so pruning is important after it finishes flowering. I bet it would do fine in a large container.

Hi everybody, I am somewhat new here.

Hi Clare, I also have Mucuna on my garden fence, it is so stunning when it is in full bloom. Thanks for sharing.

Clare, do you also grow Jade vine? I like this one, too.

Oh, I like this one - - very nice!

Hi Kukiat, my friend! How are you? I hope doing well. I bet you have the real Mucuna bennetti, Kukiat! This one is just a hybrid, but it is a little more cold hardy so that I can grow it here. I think the real Mucuna bennetti is more beautiful than this one and more red perhaps. I don't grow the Jade vine because I am afraid that it is too cold here for it and because I don't really have the room for it, but maybe someday I will when I have a conservatory or state-of-the-art greenhouse! I like the flowers too. Here is the Jade Vine that Kukiat just mentioned for those of you who haven't seen this one: http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/75010/ It's magnificient.

Thanks, Nat!

Hi Kukiat, Clare. I also have this vine from this past winter from Logees. I planted it out possibly too soon last Spring. It hasn't died, but is just sitting there--a tiny, pathetic little thing with just a couple of leaves on it. Can I expect something to happen if it makes it through the winter?

-Ron-

Yes, Ron, I think you can. I think my vine was pathetic for a year until it put on some decent growth, and even then, I think it took a year after that to flower well. I only got one little raceme last winter, but at least it had put on some decent growth. After it put out its pathetic one raceme last year, I cut it down nearly to the ground. I thought that maybe it was a poor bloomer so I even contemplated getting rid of it, but soon after, it put on tremendous growth, and now it has a ton of racemes. It dropped to 35 here last night so I wonder if the racemes will still continue to flower if it continues to be so cold at night. I'll have to watch and see. I believe it blooms on new wood so Logee's recommends severe pruning after it finishes flowering.

wow Clare that is so beautiful.

Thanks, Donna!

Really adds great color, Clare. Nice it blooms in December also!

Thanks, Kell! My Hardenbergia is starting to bloom as well which is another winter bloomer. Soon it will be covered in purple, and I'll post a picture of it. It's a traffic stopper too.

wow never heard of that one. Just darling

Oh Clare! There's that Hardenberiga again! Be still my heart! I guess the reason nobody's ever seen them here is because they probably won't grow here.

I thought I had a cutting going, but it went............boo-hoo

Kay

Kay, I'll fix that. I should have extra cuttings of both that you can share with Donna when you two get together. I think it will grow there. PlantFiles says it's hardy to 25 degrees. I haven't been successful in rooting cuttings of Hardenbergia but will try again. It does set some seeds too so I'll collect those and send those along as well. You might have the best luck with the seeds.

This Hardenbergia vine is on the fence between me and my neighbor. The neighbor lady planted it there. It seems to thrive on total neglect. I never see her water it, but it still looks great. It is evergreen and starts blooming around this time of year. I suspect it is drought tolerant in the extreme.

-Ron-

Ron, yes, it is drought tolerant when not in bloom, but I read somewhere it needs lots of water when it is blooming. Here is a picture of mine last year. Ron, your pic didn't work. Can you try again?

Thanks so much Clare. If I try often enough, maybe I'll finally get it right, huh?

Kay

Kay, I'm sure it's not you with your magnificent gardening skills. That particular vine is hard to propagate, but I know you can propagate things that are hard to propagate because I've seen you do it so you'll get this one too;-) If not, I'll buy one for you at Home Depot when they have them for sale again. They're only $5 for a one-gallon container.

i have been looking for one of these. was thinking of putting it in a hanging basket about 12ft up one on either side of the garage. where can i find one?? (mucuna vine)
thanks....cliff

cliff, it sounds like Logee's sells them and here is what i found in plant files. http://davesgarden.com/ps/go/82327/

Hi Cliff, yes, Logee's is where I got mine, which is a less cold-sensitive hybrid compared to Mucuna bennetti. This is a fairly large vine with a big root system and so I don't think it would do well in a hanging basket. Mine is in the ground now, but it was in a 15-gallon container before I put it in the ground.

Hi Clare,

I also have this Mucuna from Logees. I bought it 2 yrs. ago and it took a long time for it to take off. I didn't realize when I bought it, that it was a winter bloomer, so last year at Christmas time, I was a very surprised lady when I walked my garden one day and saw the beautiful red blooms emerging from 2 racemes. That's all I got last year and was hoping for a lot more this year.

I have been watching it for the past week and I don't see anything happening at all so far. I didn't cut it back (didn't know I was supposed to), but it has grown much taller this year. Got any hints to make it bloom for me? Can I throw some bloom booster on it now? Oh, I want to see these blooms again so bad.

Here's a pic I took of mine last year.
Donna

Hi Donna, I was surprised too to see so many blooms emerging this year, and I don't know exactly what initiated them. I probably did fertilize it all summer when I fertilized everything else. You could try a Bloombooster and see if that helps. It can't hurt.

Logee's book says:

"Important to prune immediately after flowering to insure next year's blooms; prune severely -- cut back to woody growth once a year then do not prune again until after next flowering cycle.

"Two seasons of growth are needed before it will flower freely. But it is well worth the wait, as these fiery orange flowers arrive in the dead of winter. It propagates easily.

"Mucuna species is a heavy vine that needs space for growth. As a potted plant, it needs to be grown in a large container and given a strong support. Supports such as a trellis or stakes work well for its vigorous growth. Young plants need to obtain some size before flowering. In our experience, for Mucuna species to come into bloom, the plant has to be heavily foliated on at least a three-foot support in a ten-inch pot. Then, it will bud up nicely."

Here is mine now:

Another pic:

Wow, very pretty.

Clare, are your buds on this vine starting to open again?
I had my family here for Thanksgiving yesterday and as we were walking through the garden, I noticed that I have several that are starting to open this year.

I mentioned on this post last year that I didn't get any blooms at all, but this year it is full of long racemes and I am really looking forward to seeing this beautiful vine in full bloom real soon. I wish it could be seen from my back windows, but it is on the side of the house on an arch that divides the side yard to the back.

I hope yours is doing well this year also. I will post a picture when they all open up.

Donna

Hi Donna, I can't wait to see a picture of yours. I'm going to have to enjoy your blooms this year because I took my vine out after it finished flowering last year. It was too big for the spot that it was in, and I needed the room for my plumerias. You might get a couple seed pods after flowering because I did on mine. I'm keeping those seeds in case I want to grow it again some time in the future. It is a fairly fast grower and can get big in time. Logee's Container Plants book recommends cutting it back severely after flowering as only new growth will flower. Thanks for your note and do post a picture when you can:-)

Oh, I'm sorry you had to take yours out. I did hear from Weegy that you were really into Plumies now, so I can understand the need for more room. lol

I didn't cut it back last year, as it was only about 5-6 ft. tall and it didn't bloom at all. It has grown double the size this year...up and over the curved top of my arch. I do hope it gives me some seeds, so I can share it with my family and friends....then I will cut it back. Thanks for your info on it.

Donna

Beautiful vines, Clare. I bought the Hardenbergia this year from Brushwood but it died promptly along with the two other vines I ordered from them.

Thanks, Donna and Ada. I'm sorry about your Hardenbergia vine, Ada. I took that one out too. I've never had a harder time digging up a plant, tree, or vine, and believe me, I've dug up quite a few things! LOL! The Hardenbergia vines were like trees at their base with massive root systems. I was shocked. No wonder they never needed water. I actually got rid of most of the vines on the property because they grew too fast and got too big and needed to much pruning maintenance. I just don't have much maintenance time anymore, I'm afraid. My Dalechampia vine is coming out very soon as it too is becoming a monster. I have less than an eighth of an acre here and just can't afford to let vines do their thing. The only vine that I have now and will keep is Stephanotis. I have wisteria vines too, but those are grafted standards and are behaving themselves for the moment.

I look forward to seeing your pics, Donna! Red is a lovely site to see in the middle of winter.

....and I was about to ask for a trade of Hardenbergia for a Green Jade Vine....OOOOPS!!!! LOL

Clare

You must not have just a green thumb but all your fingers on both hands and your toes on both feet must be green. How do you do it?

Amazed in Louisiana.

Jeri

Oops, sorry, Carol! It surely was beautiful, and it would always bloom in the winter so that made it special. Someday, when I have more room to grow it, I'll have it again.

LOL, Jeri! That is sweet of you to say. The only thing that I have going for me is good weather and dumb luck!

Check out this picture from PlantFiles that Kell posted: http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/134278/ She posted several that are gorgeous.

Yea right Clare and I have waterfront property in Arizona. LOL

Jeri

LOL, Jeri! You're sweet:-)