Corkscrew vine first blooms this year

My corkscrew vine is one year old.Last year it bloomed well but I didn't get any seed pods although I tried hand pollination.There was a long thread on the subject last year and some members got pods and seeds.Have the people who got seeds last year been able to propagate them?

I just bought a camera and this is one of my first pictures.I took this picture last Thursday before the flowers got their wonderful colors.This morning most of the flowers had their colors.No ants have found them yet.

Oh, I am so happy for you! Envious too! I am still waiting for my little buds to pop. :~)
Every morning I go out and check them. That is my ritual when it is blooming, to sit next to it and drink my coffee and I am PAST being patient! My coffee ALWAYS tastes better with the scent of corkscrew in the air. LOL
I started a thread last year called Vigna Caracalla-corkscrew vine Q&A & we made some interesting discoveries. I actually got seedpods on a plant that never got any ants because I kept the base of the pot sprayed with ant poison. I was curious too if they would be viable since I had always heard that they were only pollinated by ants, but I started dozens of them and people I gave seeds to also started them. So either the praying mantis that was living in there or something with wings did the pollinating.
You new camera takes wonderful pictures, you made a good investment. Enjoy your flowers. :~)
Donna

Way to go!! I hope one day I get to sniff what it smells like.
:) Donna

Hey, Downscale! Your corkie looks great. I was wondering why we hadn't seen any yet this year. Mine's been blooming about 3 weeks now. We're about 8 degrees warmer here than MB so I guess that's why. By the way, how did it work out with the housesitting person? Hope you had a great time on vacation.
Barbara

Donna
I followed your thread and instructions last year and didn't get any seed pods. I hope that I will get some this year.The vine is full of buds and I did see some ants yesterday.Glad to hear that your seeds were viable and that your friends now have plants.

Barbara
We had the greatest vacation.The house sitter was a very nice woman and took care of Hannah (our poodle) very well.She didn't water as much as she should have but she is from the North East and didn't know how much water our plants need in the summer.

Well don't be disappointed, I did not get any seedpods the first year (2003) either which led me to think it was a plant maturity thing. In 2004 I got a few seedpods on my original vine. But last year I got a bumper crop from ALL my plants, even the first year seedlings. Some in pots some in the ground, and I don't treat them all alike, so I doubt it is anything I did. I am now rethinking the maturity thing and thinking perhaps it was just that the weather last year was ideal for them. The weather this year is very different so far, it will be interesting to see what I get.
Were you able to leave yours outside last winter or did you have to bring it inside?

Just popping in........ hope you don't mind.

I started my first seeds this year, a new plant/vine for me and 8 germinated. Now I planted 4 of them near my lattice and the other 4 are still in the pots. I did not know that the ants are what pollinate them. Where is the thread you started mudpies? I looked for it but did not find it. all the vines are about 8 " tall right now not sure if they will have enough time to set and bloom this year. i plan on leaving them in the ground over winter and if they make it then maybe next year I will get some blooms.

calvin

Hey calvin, glad you have a corkscrew, you will love it. I cannot imagine anyone NOT loving it. LOL
I leave mine in the ground/pots in the winter and have no problem with them returning. I think Taylor (seedpicker_tx) who is in your zone has success leaving hers in the ground too, if I recall correctly. When I do seeds I plant them inside in January and I get blooms the first year. When did you plant yours? Here is a link to the thread started last year. Might be slow loading if you are on dial up. It is a loooong read. LOL Sure hope you DO get blooms this year. :~)
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/542364/

My vine is in a large pot.I didn't want to take any chances.Last winter was mild for us so there were no hard frosts and I didn't have to bring the pot inside.When I have more than 1 plant (hope hope)I'll try it in the ground.I can't beleive how well it is doing this year.It seems that it bloomed later last year but I think it was because of it's age.

Calvin
Where did you get your seeds? I have ordered seeds from Parks for 2 years now and haven't gotten any.

I planted mine this year around march. they are all about 6 inches high right now, put them in the ground and I geuss they are adjusting to the new home, no new growth yet.

i can't remember where I purchased them but if you check my journal I think I listed them there. I am on brack right now and only hav time to post a few them have to go. I have not updated the journal/diary in a while.

oh, just looked at the clock got to go right now talk later. bye everyone take care,

calvin

I had a vine in the ground from last year but it met up with my weed eater a few weeks ago. Fortunately, I planted 4 plants on a metal arch trellis and I see buds for the first time. I started these from seeds the beginning of the year and had them in 1 gal pots till a couple months ago. They have now taken over the arch and going over the shade house the arch is attached to. I have about 20 plants in 1 gal containers that are getting large and just started 16 more seeds. Eventually, I should have them all over. I have the snail vine also which has almost complete covered over the size and top of the 6x15 ft kennel I no longer use but it makes a nice trellis. I like tyhe snail vine because in my zone, it blooms during the winter also.
Jan...

Oh Jan, that will look awesome when you get those all established. Can you imagine the smell??? YUM! I would love to have that kind of space. I agree about the snail vine, I would not want it instead of corkscrew, but I really like it WITH the corksrcrew. They really compliment each other well and the snail vine blooms most of the year for me too.

I had the corkscrew along the back panel of the kennel but it is the one that got wacked. It still has about 2 feet of stem so it may grow side shoots. I do have p. incarnata sharing space with the snail vine. They have pretty much intermingled now so I get a nice scent from the passi. If I can find the photo I took last month, I'll show you both together or I'll take a new one. I have 64ft of virgin wood fencing on the back fence that I just replaced. I'll be putting up some support wire and covering it with a mix of vines. I have snail vine going down the side fence on one side and when I finish replace the fence on the other side, guess what will go there.LOL

This message was edited Jul 14, 2006 6:06 PM

I don't want to tie up babe's thread to I started a new one with pictures of my snail vine and corkscrew vines.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/626466/

This is my my vine today almost 2 months later.It has bloomed the whole time.Lots of blooms but no pods.

Looking good. All off mine have kick into blooming now. Seems they're just late summer bloomers, especially from seed the same year. It will be interesting for me to see how early they bloom next year as they won't actually go dormant here.
Jan...

mine are just getting ready to start opening, will try to take photos later today

I actually went on an ant hunt this weekend. I have about 6-8 plants blooming but little to no ants on them. Why is it they're never around when you want them. LOL

Oh boy, do I envy you budgie! I have tons that you can come take away for me. LOLOL I have to keep filling my miracle gro sprayer that attaches to the hose full of dish soap and blasting my corkscrews! They apparently found a bargain on black aphid this year and realllllly stocked up. :~(
downscale, you flowers look so clean and pretty!

Oooh so exciting! Can't wait for mine to open up.
:) Donna

Downscale--is yours in full sun?
Debbie

Yes mine is in full sun.I had it in partial shade last season and it didn't bloom as well.Last year's wonderful thread said to grow it in full sun.It is in a pot and it overwintered without a problem but we had a very mild winter.

I am going to try to hand pollinate it again (it didn't work for me last year).The ants who are the pollinators don't seem to be doing the job.

mine has been in bloom and oh the scent!! each year I wait and wait patiently to get a whiff of this, finally yesterday I brought the pot and all indoors, it sure fills the livingroom with such a fragrance! the colors are stunning and I am so glad I decided to overwinter mine last year!!!

What is a corkscrew vine, please? Is it perhaps called by a different name, also? I have never heard of it except on DG. Am so envious of anyone who has some of the beautiful vines and in my zone. Really love vines - particularly the perenniel ones or the ones that reseed readily. Thanks, in advance.

Ann

Gorgeous Laurrie, yours look so blue! I am envious that you get their aroma inside, LOL, almost makes it worth having to haul plants in every winter. Like a reward. LOL

Ann, here is a link to the plant in PlantFiles.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1884/index.html

Thanks for the link, PudgyMudpies. I had already looked there but went back and re-looked. Still have never heard of or seen this vine. Went to several of the nursery websites and found nothing. I will call my nursery and see if they have it and if it is available at this time or when.

Ann

You're welcome Ann. If you go back to that link, you will see at the top left right under the plant name, a line that says 6 vendors have this plant for sale. That might save you some running around. Good luck. :~)

Here is one of my vigna's blooming. This one is far enough away from the passiflora edulis that you can smell it without being close up. Finally got some of the tiny ants on it too.

different view

Seed Pod

Mine start out more white, but when we get those cool nights and wake to dew in the morning they start showing more purple/blue look to them, wonder if it's the cooler nights???

Beautiful OhioBreezy and Budgielover! Here is the latest picture of mine. I think this is the closest I will get to see it bloom before I cut it down and bring it into the basement....unless we get another couple of weeks of no frost.
:) Donna

Nice Donna
That the sad part about late blooming plants when you live in colder climates. You don't get to enjoy them to their full extent.

Nope, but I sure try my darnest!

Does anyone have see they would be willing to part with? I would love to try to grow this beautiful vine...please let me know and thanks so much!
JanetS

Budgie,
nice looking pods, are you having any aphid problems on yours? The ants are so abundant this year, I just cannot keep ahead of them with my weekly spraying and they have actually started planting their aphid on the seedpods.

No, no aphids but very few ants either. I went out the the cassia alata to harvest some off there and it was overflowing last week but now they're gone from there too so I don't know where they are going. I don't spray with insecticides but I have an unusual amount of ladybugs this year. That could account for the lack of aphids. I did have some (aphids) on the milkweed as is normal but they are gone also.
Jan...

LUCKY!!!!! lol

I have one pod!I wonder how long it will tale before it rippens?What looks like the last flower is now in bloom.It bloomed this year from early july until now.Not bad.I didn't have all that many ants.I wonder why since I don't spray.

Mine never ripen on the vine, I always have to pick them green and let them ripen inside. But be forewarned, keep them in a paper sack cuz they can explode. Laurrie, tell babe what happened to you. I always crack up when I hear this. HAR