Does anyone know of a place where I can list the attributes that I am looking for in a vine and then give me the resulting plants? I have an almost empty trellis. It was planted with cape honeysuckle until last winter when it froze to death during a freeze. Then I planted a yellow honeysuckle that is incompatible with the trellis. What I am looking for is a vine that doesn't mind partial shade, attracts butterflies (either as larval or nectar-bearing plant) and is relatively easy to train on a trellis. If anyone knows of a vine I can try or of a website where I can enter these requirements, please let me know. I wanted to try passiflora but I am not so sure it gets enough sunlight besides I have three other trellises with passifloras.
Thanks,
Chuck
Searching for a vine
If you go to Plant Files and go to the Advanced Search you can do exactly what you want. The only one of your requirements that isn't something you can search in Plant Files is the one about easy to train on a trellis, but if you look at the pictures in the Plant Files entries for ones you think are interesting you may be able to tell from that, or else you can come back here and ask. The one catch with the search is that it'll only show you the first 100 entries that match your requirements, so if you're getting too many results you may find it helpful to do a couple searches, narrowing by deciduous vs evergreen, flower colors, bloom times, etc to see what all your options are.
Hey Chuck!
Look over Lavender Trumpet Vine / Clytostoma callistegioides. It's one of my very favorites....besides....it's fun to say!
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/59561/
Check out Bower Vine / Pandorea jasminoides too. It's smaller and comes in White flowered, Pink flowered or Variegated foliage. It takes partial shade here because my summers are like yours (even though it says "full sun" in The Plant Files).
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/13823/
Karen
Hi! Karen,
Those are two excellent choices. I will think about them. The only thing is that they have to be annuals because the trellis is designated for Passifloras. I am going to go around asking people if they know what callistegioides means...LOL!!
Take care,
Chuck
Dear Gordo,
That plant is beautiful. You know, until I saw your message I had no idea that Thunbergias weren't just Black-Eyed Susan Vines. I planted on Mother's Day twenty of the seeds of an envelope that only said Thunbergia (from Walmart). I now have eighteen beautiful seedlings of something I thought was Black-Eyed Susan Vines. I can't find the envelope. It is going to be fun growing these(I hope). I am really hoping that they are Grandifloras or Black-Eyed Susans but if not, at least I know the seedlings are from a beautiful family...LOL.
Thanks,
Chuck
Passiflora Incense, Ceaurella (spell?) and Lady Margeret will bloom just fine with some shade. I have them planted in huge pots on my back porch (dirt floor). They are protected from frost during the winter, but I cut them back severely so that I can attach the greenhouse plastic. They start growing and blooming earlier than the ones that I have in the ground (not protected).
I second the Gordo's motion about Thunbergia Grandiflora. It starts blooming a little later, but blooms its heart out until first frost. And the blooms are HUGE! Very easily propagated via cuttings
The Lavender trumpet is gorgeous in early spring, but it does not bloom for very long. I have never seen any seed pods on it, but I should start looking for them this year. It tends to root itself wherever it touches the ground.
To get an idea of the size of Thunbergia Grandiflora blooms, I am enclosing a picture of the blooms on my chain link fence.
Dear HSteacher,
Thanks for sharing the info with us. Is the Thunbergia Grandiflora a trumpet vine? I was just curious because I was told a few years ago that trumpet vines (at least here in So Cal) are annoying some times by the way they spread. The blooms in the photos sure look beautiful though.However, a lot of people told us the same thing about the cape honeysuckle and ours wasn't a problem at all.
Thanks again,
Chuck
No, it is not a trumpet vine (Campsis Radicans, I hate!). Thunbergia Grandiflora, too my knowledge does not spread via root sprouts. Nor does it produce any seeds (for me, anyway).
I first saw this flower on a huge harbor in an old Magnolia Nursery estate, years ago when on a Master Gardener field trip. It was planted with Passiflora Incense. I already had Passiflora Incense, but didn't have the Thunbergia Grandiflora. The new owner, who graciously sponsored the visit, gave me cuttings which I rooted, and now have many.
I adore this vine. Can you tell?
And the lavender trumpet vine that was mentioned earlier is also not the same as the trumpet vine that gets overly aggressive. Here's the nice lavender one:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2749/index.html
Thanks for straightening that out for me. For the last four years if it said Trumpet Vine, I ignored it. I am glad I didn't this time.
Thanks again,
Chuck
Dear Karen,
Do Clytostoma callistegioides perennials usually grow very big? I am finding that if I stick to the thinner (the height isn't usually a problem) vines, I can fit more in a limited area. This morning we planted our Thunbergia (this was all the name it had on the seed packages). I put the chicken wire up just in case...LOL.
Dear HSTeacher,
I am not sure that we didn't plant this in the form of seedlings this morning. I was looking at the flowers and if I am not mixing up the message where each one came from, I think that we have a Thunbergia alata. I don't know for sure, though. The grandiflora flowers were beautiful also. As soon as the plants start growing up the chicken wire, I will try to send photos.
Thanks to everybody,
Chuck
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This message was edited Jun 26, 2007 2:20 PM