OCRCG Thread

Me and RJ have had this continuing discussion about rangoon creepers on the vines forum...I'm gonna post it over here and continue it.....We are "obsessive-compulsive rangoon creeper growers" and I feel as though I've 'hijacked' someone's thread. Lot's of TX gardener's grow them.......and they are ready to burst into bloom here. I'm going to have to get out into the garden and rip a six foot, highly productive Green Zebra tomato just to see mine better. Hey, I've got my priorities straight! One rangoon creeper is worth a million tomato plants!

I think there might be a padded cell awaiting in the local correctional institution for me....I just hate it when I get home to late for all the action; I think it will open tomorrow!
Debbie
Go ahead and feel free to express yourselves on this subject! LOL

This message was edited May 11, 2006 8:47 PM

That is one interesting plant Debbie, I had never seen one, are the flowers cented?
It appears to be a nocturnal plant, is it a vine? and how big does it get?
Josephine.

Josephine--
They are probably the most divinely, intoxicating scent from a plant that there has ever been created! It fills the entire 60' garden when the wind is still. Not nocturnal, I just am because I didn't get home until late...they are a native plant...to India (lol). It's my one non-Texas native indulgence. It should be fully open tomorrow--and I will make it home to see it. I bet RJ can pipe in with a much more descriptive adjective for the perfume of this plant...I left him a Dmail.
Debbie

Thank you Debbie, it looks kike a very fun plant, but I imagine it would be tender up here.

Yes--it is tropical. I got it to live through its first winter in the ground by "heavily" mulching it with pine straw and obcessively checking on it during every cold snap. I hear if you can get them to a good size, they can withstand to about 26 with mulch and some protection.
Debbie

Debbie
Mine has been blooming for some time now...one of my favorites!!!!

and

That is one gorgeous plant! I can't wait to see it in bloom. They have had it at the Extension Office and if I had a place for one, part of theirs would have disappeared.
CJ
Curious: You're in Houston and Zone 8b; I'm north of Houston and Zone 9a.....So you're not in Houston proper?

She's on the west side and her temps are a little colder than ours, but I am surprised that The Woodlands is not cooler.

Is Missouri City 9b? Or 10a? We were 8b when I moved here 13 years ago, but the USDA bumped us up to 9a a couple of years ago. And I happen to live in a little mini climate that gives me good protection from some of the freezes that happen around me.

I'm definitely in 8b....even this winter my rangoon, hamalia patens, cigar plants (cuphea), panama rose, and clerondendrum froze to ground level. And we really had no winter...except for that one cold snap in Feb that got everything (everything quickly started growing again though due to increasing daylengths).

April--that is one great looking rangoon! I knew you had such good taste....lol....in the dirt or in a pot?

As far as I know- and that's not much- I am 9b.

I love that Rangoon Creeper. One year I bought one and it died the minute I removed it from the pot. It was sad and I never thought of getting one again. However, I saw one on sale, so cheap that I couldn't say no. I planted it in the ground at the begining of last season and it bloomed some off and on through the warm season. This year is it TAA DAAAA! Not that I had anything to do w/ it but man it's like the apple of my eye. Last year I made a couple of cuttings and one thrived, the others dived! Sorry, couldn't resist that dumb rhyme. Anyway, I smuggled it into CAL and gave it to my mom- it was blooming in the pot at the time, Thanksgiving. Since then I have not been able to get a cutting going- any ideas what I am doing wrong? Tried one a week or so ago, brought it into the house to try and control the climate but that was a failure as well.

April-- iIve heard the pull a limb down to the soil, mound on the soil, and hold down with a rock trick works (I know this method has a proper name--ya'll will just have to forgive me--my mind is mush this time of year). I'm going to try with mine. Should work since they sprawl all over everywhere and you really have to "guide" them where you want them. I'll have lots of time soon....if I survive until then! LOL
Debbie

Air layering. I know this because I do not teach and I have taken to only speaking to my dog and not my teenagers.
April

ROFLOLOL!!!

Must be another mother of a teenager. Nasty little buggers aren't they?

Yes--thank you for understanding, I do have a mind....I think I've just misplaced it. My 17 yr old got in an auto wreck this afternoon (minor--no one hurt) with 4 other cars, full of 16-18 year olds in front of the school. Just had to deal with the insurance follks...thank goodness she was the only car not cited (this means I will be able to eat for the next 6 months--lol). Is it possible to put them all in a low Earth orbit and allow them to burn up slowly upon re-entry?...just joking guys, maybe....lol

Yes, Air layering was the word I was looking for....I think I'll just talk to my rangoon creeper and a little "cocktail" at this point in time. ;) I don't even trust the dog at this point in time.

Thank goodness its Friday, and a daylilly sale tomorrow on top of it all! I think I deserve combat pay....
Now if the rangoon starts talking back......
Debbie

Debbie you poor thing. You deserve a daylily sale and your cocktail!
Glad your daughter wasn't hurt. I am buying both of mine tickets for the next space launch- I think it's a thoughtful Mother's Day gift for me. LOL

Beautiful creeper Debbie!

I did notice it was a full moon last night--the third seat's reserved for mine! I think I'm laughing now.....lol

This morning I noticed that the jar of rooting hormone that I have says keep out of reach of children. I wonder if that's because they will get rooted and you won't be able to get rid of them? Ya think?

Very good April--quick, put it high up on the shelf! ;)

Rangoon Creeper's: Josua's has them in the Heights for $6.99. Good Price. May the stampede begin....

You know mine was so slow growing the 1st year that maybe I'd have jumped to the front of the herd, but now that the 2nd year has begun I can see that it is really going strong and wow, I wonder if I will have enough room!

My snail vine didn't freeze back this year and it is taking over the world. My Bauhinia Corymbosa is also begining to take over the world. I will try to make cuttings of that one, it is so pretty- but also slow growing the 1st year. It produces many seed pods but so far none seem large enough to take. I know that you will want the seed and I guess if you play your cards right, I could see my way to giving some seed to you.

April

How shall I play those cards? lol What color is your Bauhinia?

Corymbosa is the vine and I am not sure how many colors it comes in but mine is Pink...so here I am thinking how shall I describe this when suddenly I recall that I have many photos of it...what kind of mom would I be if I did not?!

I did something sort of dumb, wanted some of the "Big Sky" series of coneflowers and didn't want to pay the big price so I ordered them for 3 or 4 dollars less per plant than I would have paid locally and duh, didn't bother to factor in the S&H!!! The old mind is not functioning the way it used to. Anyway they arrived Saturday and I planted them yesterday; Sunrise, Sunset, Sundown & Twilight. Can't wait for them to bloom!

April, this flower looks like the flower of the orchid tree, but in a vine form, is that right?
It sure is pretty, I had never hreard of it.
Josephine.

Josephine;

Oh yes Josephine, it is a vine!! I didn't know they came in the form until last year and when I bought this it was like a twig w/ maybe 2 leaves, but I was assured that it would grow. I love vines so I was thrilled!

The flowers are maybe not so big as most of the orchid tree flowers, but they seem to come in nice little groups of 7 or 9, something like that. That picture is my side of the fence, the other side of the fence is the sidewalk and street and it has really grown a lot on that side. Let's see if I can find a picture...ok this is it, it's hard to see but I promise there are many, many flowers and buds.

April--I never met an echinacea I didn't like...what's the company name? I also want seeds though they may not come true--they just might be close enough! LOL Let the last few coneheads go to seed...please, pretty please?!?

PS--I want cuttings of that vine when it cools down! LOL

Debbie
shamelessly begging for plants, again....she slinks slowly away

Debbie, you are just too funny! and you ceartainly know how to play your cards right.
Josephine.

I almost bought a rangoon creeper once, but my limited budget got in the way. But I would have to keep it in a pot up here. How big would the pot need to be to have a plant that would bloom decently?

Debbie, no need to slink away...sharing is good...no problem w/ the coneflower seeds. I don't know how the seeds will turn out...which company are you referring to, the guys I bought from or the patent holder, because that I don't know. I bought them from Flowerville Farm in Michigan. I do know that Buchanan's has a few of the cultivars.

Silverflutter:
I made my one and only successful cutting of my Rangoon Creeper last year (summer) and potted it. I left it in the pot, just a plastic quart and by November it was blooming in the pot. I took it my mom and as far as I know it's still going great. The larger the pot, the larger the plant and you can sort of stunt it's growth by keeping it potted. Anyway that's been my experience. It might be root hardy where you are, not sure you'd have to check plantfiles.
April

RJ also does all his in pots--if we can get him to "chime" in here, he can tell you which sizes he uses...I'll try to root you one.

April, Flowerville Farm? Did everything arrive in good condition?

Yes, very good condition and I even read the local newspaper from last November...good land prices! LOL.
Plants all look very good and decent size, same as I'd have gotten from any local nursery. Twilight was a bit on the small side but possibly it is a newer cultivar- I am not sure. They seem very healthy looking and I know that I have bought plants locally that looked much worse. The only problem was that after I paid the 12.95 each (dang that's a lot of money but they were all 14.95 - 16.95 locally before I ordered them and I could not get all the cultivars I wanted locally) I then paid 18.00 and change for shipping and handling... so it worked out to 17.00 per plant, not really much of a bargain, but then I did get what I wanted.

Thanks April, that would be really nice. What do I have that you're interested in? Check my diary or the RU trade thread.
Mary Lee

I'll be my cheerful self again soon, I hope.

April--its only money, right? Gotta keep our economy going!
Debbie

Just want to say....I love Rangoon Creepers!!!
They have been my favorite for 7 yrs now. I remember so well b/c I saw my first one @ the Farm when I went to work there...7 yrs ago. We supply Joshua's, Buchanan's, ARE, Arbor Gate, & others. So if you just have to have one, let me know.
I planted mine in the ground last yr. Thought I had lost it for sure, even though it was under about 6-8" of mulch. It's coming back out & is headed in about 7 different directions. Now just waiting for blooms. Did I mention this poor thing has been a pot for about 5 yrs?

Smockette, how much?

I looked this plant up and now am undecided as to should I use wisteria or the RC to cover my unsitely glob of intwined tree trunks.?

anyone have a idea to share.? I'm looking for fast growth, good foliage, scented, and great length/width to cover tree view. pruning issue not so important but more interested in something that hides the trees from eyesight year round and doesn't kill the trees.

calvin

Calvin--Rangoon Creepers are not really true vines or climbers, for the most part. You have to "guide" the large branches (arms) where you want them to grow. They won't hide a tree--they need fairly strong support such as a lattice (like mine) or a trellis (wrought iron or wood--like April's) to grow on. And they are tropical....mine survived the winter under extrememly heavy mulch (12-18") and we had a very mild to almost non-existant winter. And then there's the matter of mulch...you say it robs the soil of nitrogen...although clearly I, and others here, disagree. Open the pic up and closely look at the rangoon creeper's arms.....
Debbie

thank you dmj it has helped my make up my mind btwn the two. Wisteria it is for now.

Anyone else have another vine./creeper in mind for my consideration. I am all ears and fingers(internet research and dmail ready).

calvin

Calvin - you said that you were "interested in something that hides the trees from eyesight year round and doesn't kill the trees." I wouldn't go with wisteria. Wisteria develops very strong, thick vines and strangles trees. It will pull down a small tree, a trellis, a fence. It requires a very strong support, with constant pruning to keep it in bounds. If I were you, I would continue my research.