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Nothing
says tropicalismo like a jungly canopy of sinuous, twining vines, dripping
with blooms. Mother Nature has gifted us with a bewildering array of these
vining wonders, all of them marvelous bait for enticing butterflies and hummingbirds
into our gardens.
I
am particularly fond of the exotic, often outrageous Aristolochia tribe,
the noble Dutchman's pipe family. Similar to our native Dutchman's Pipe, A
.tomentosa, these tender vines offer showier, if not bizarre, blooms that
continue their raucous show throughout the hot summer months. A. giganteum
boasts huge, yawning blooms, painted in a velvety patchwork of burgundy and
cream, and then-- smack dab in the middle--a bull's eye glowing yellow throat……truly
shocking to unsuspecting garden visitors, who may innocently wander into your
little shop of horrors. Those less daring may choose the diminutive Aristolochia
fimbriata. Take a peek under the petite, round leaves of this Brazilian
native and feast your eyes on the intriguing velvety red 'pipes', elaborately
fringed yellow, cavorting on trailing stems…..a perfect conversation
piece, especially parked at eye level in hanging baskets. Once filled with
pipe vine lust, your taste for the bizarre will lead you to Aristolochia
ringens, the 'Pelican Vine'. Try to prepare yourself for the mind bending
blooms, garishly costumed like the head of an exotic bird---a MUST for plant
nerds smitten with jungle fever!
Equally extravagant in bloom are the awesome 'corkscrew' flowers of Vigna caracalla. This very tender legume explodes into growth with the onset of hot weather, when, in steamy August ( as the siren of tropicalismo calls) you'll be astounded by fragrant, lavender corkscrew blooms resembling fat snails, peeking from a lush curtain of leaves. Youngsters ogle these exotic blooms, rendering them tropiholics at a tender age, doomed and destined for hopeless plant addiction, just like us. For serious snail vine showmanship---if you live in cold climates north of zone 8-- dig the tubers and winter them in a cool, dark, and dry spot. Planted in sun-warmed soil the following spring, you'll get a bounty of bloom on lush, jungly growth, spiraling skyward, the envy of your gardening friends. Plant Trachelospermum asiaticum, or Star Jasmine, in a convenient pot near your patio and be rewarded with clouds of sweet perfume, drawing you outdoors on sultry summer evenings. Create a living sculpture by winding the long stems to and fro through a rustic wire obelisk. Sink your lawn chair beside it, and revel in the perfume of those ivory, star- like blossoms. Aaaaahhhh………..
Beautiful
foliage……
Foliage
shmoliage! Show me the color! Show me the color! A bonanza of beautiful textural
foliage isn't for everybody, evidently. You also want color, color, COLOR.
How about both? I can't imagine gardening without Cissus discolor,
the ultimate exotic vine. Picture rivers of forest green, pewter, and deep
purple on velvety oval leaves…a sinuous, vining, (and vigorous!) exotic,
hand painted by the Jungle Gods. Put it to the test…the 'rex begonia
vine' likes nothing better than steamy summer heat, when it enshrouds basket
or trellis, creating a Persian tapestry of velvety, maroon and silver leaves,
suspended from delicate tendrils of smoky red. Plop it in a basket of red
impatiens and set your shady oasis on fire with color. For a romantic aura,
plant another shade-dwelling beauty, Lygodium japonicum, the Japanese
Climbing Fern. Picture a lacy green veil of delicate fronds wandering hither-skither.
The possibilities are endless …use it to ramble up a rustic arbor, in
containers inching its way up a wire obelisk, or offer it as a graceful waterfall
of leaves, cascading from a lush basket. I always companion mine with flowering
vines for that wild, unrestrained, look that I can't get enough of.
And
colorful blooms….
Dalechampia,
the Winged Beauty vine, boasts unusual, wing-petaled blooms a hot shade
of violet pink. The opposite blooms, up to 5" across, dance about on
a lush wall of fresh green leaves and tendrils, latching on to any nearby
object. Although never without bloom, my Winged Beauty always saves the
best for last, a virtual waterfall of colorful 'bowtie' blossoms, fluttering
in the autumn breeze. The Black Eyed Susan vine, Thunbergia, falls
in the category of 'voted most popular' by tropiholics everywhere. I like
to use this old-fashioned, 'granny plant' in large baskets with trailing
coleus, intertwined with the silvery thread-like leaves of lotus vine. The
sunny, funnel-shaped blossoms, in shades of orange, yellow, and white are
often dotted with a zonal black spot, hence the name 'Black Eyed Susan'
vine. Newer hybrids have tropical afficionados all a-twitter…. enter
'Sun Lady', a super vigorous hybrid of T. alata and T. gibsonii with
larger, searing yellow flowers… so hot it's cool! 'Blushing Susie'
and 'Sunrise Surprise' offer a color break in the clock vine tribe,
bursting in blooms painted a montage of pastel apricot, pink and yellow.
Passionflowers entice with their intricate, exotic bloom structures
in a rainbow of colors, and 'Lady Margaret' is my favorite new hybrid.
I gasped the first time I lay eyes on those luscious raspberry-red blooms,
and a happy camper I was when 'Lady Margaret' bore her fragrant, beautiful
flowers in midsummer, continuing well into September. If your chosen color
is blue, pick 'Blue Bouquet'. This breathtaking passionflower, in
shades of indigo and sky blue, also flowered freely in midsummer, galloping
skyward on our purple gazebo to ten glorious feet by fall. No purple gazebo?
No problem. Grow your passionflowers (and many other tropical vines) in
hanging baskets, where pendulous stems set bud more quickly, blooming well
before and up to the first frost.
Have fun perusing our tried and true collection of tender vines…………
Chris
Download
our order form here.
Container
sizes: qt = quart 2-qt = two quart
GL = gallon Click
on 
for
pictures of plants
ALLAMANDA Full
sun to part shade
cathartica 'Dwarf Jenny' $9.95 2-qt
Not so wild, like the typical 'out to there' lax stems of the species.
The compact 'Golden Butterfly' is a neat, more restrained version, retaining
the voluptuous fragrant yellow blossoms allamanda is known and grown for.
Soooo fine in containers!
violacea 'Cherries Jubilee' $7.95 qt
Huge, flaring trumpets of rosy red and creamy ivory……screamers
ARISTOLOCHIA (Dutchman's Pipe) ) Best
grown in filtered sunlight or bright shade
gigantea brasiliensis $7.95 qt
Gruesomely beautiful, large 'pipes' with a wide, yawning calyx, resembling
the unmentionable. Perfect for shock value, prominently displayed at the
Ladies Garden Club meeting. Height 6 - 8 feet.
grandiflora (Pelican flower) $7.95 qt
This pipe vine is distinguished by its very large, yawning cream colored
blooms, fiercely netted in burgundy, with a trailing, ribbon-like streamer
dangling below the bloom.
littoralis Elegans $4.95 qt
The most widely grown and dainty of the tender pipe vines, a dependable
free bloomer with entrancing, round, maroon and white, patterned 'pipes'.
Sails through hot, humid summers, and often self-sows. Height 6 - 8 feet.
ringens $7.95 qt
Other-worldly 'pipe' blooms, brocaded ivory and deep red…… an
exaggerated, intriguing botanical marvel, sometimes called the Pelican Vine.
Height 6 - 8 feet.
CISSUS discolor (Rex Begonia Vine) $7.95 qt
'Foliage shmoliage! Show me the color! Show me the color!' A bonanza
of beautiful textural foliage isn't for everybody, evidently. You also want
color, color, color. How about both? I can't imagine gardening without Cissus
discolor, the ultimate exotic vine. Picture rivers of forest green and deep
purple on velvety oval leaves….a sinuous, vining and vigorous exotic
hand painted by the Jungle Gods. Placed in a rustic wall planter or basket,
with other shade dwelling aristocrats, ours danced across the north barn
wall, masquerading as a Persian tapestry. Show me your order! Show me your
order! Shade to part shade. Height 4 - 6 feet.l
DALECHAMPIA dioscoreifolia (Winged Beauty Vine) $7.95 qt Sun
to part shade
Unique fuchsia 'bowties' on a vigorous twining vine.
DOLICHOS 'Ruby Moon' $4.95 qt
Nothing beats the lush and jungly Hyacinth Bean vine, a popular choice for
draping arbors and fences---and in lickety split time! Hummers and butterflies
are lured to the chain-like clusters of pink flowers in late summer, and
you'll admire the metallic-purple bean pods that follow.
IPOMOEA acuminata (Blue Dawn Vine) $4.95
I get all weepy and giddy inside when I gaze at those awesome, cobalt
blue blossoms springing open on steamy summer mornings….sensory overload!
I only recommend this one for basket culture, since Blue Dawn Vine has the
ability to cover our entire planet a`la kudzu. Full sun to part shade.
IPOMOEA (Morning Glory Vine)
alba (Moon Vine) $3.95 qt
This annual is quite necessary for tropiholics gardening in the evening
hours, when the fragrant flowers of Moon Vine magically spring open, enticing
night flying insects, and lighting up dusk. Height 6 - 10 feet.
'Heavenly Blue' $2.95 3 inch pot
The classic morning glory in dreamy, mystical blue. One summer morning,
driving along, my mind preoccupied by petty problems and deeds to do, I
was jolted back to reality by an extravagant 'Heavenly Blue', all decked
out in its summer glory. Nirvana. I was instantly grounded, removed to a
blissful state of mind, and thoughtfully reminded of how nature so simply
restores peace in our hearts. Height 6 - 10 feet.
quamclit (Cypress Vine) $1.99 3
inch pot
Once planted, a returning friend…..oodles of fiery red mini-trumpets
by the gazillion that self sow generously. A bellowing siren for hummers,
who perform aerial ballets over the lacy, delicate foliage all summer and
autumn. Height 6 - 10 feet.
'Tie Dye Blue' $2.95 3
inch pot
A morning glory for old hippies, neophyte, and veteran gardeners…..anyone
vulnerable to seduction from those hypnotic, tie-dye splashed and streaked
indigo-blue and lavender blossoms. Oh, my. Full sun to part shade. Height
6 - 8 feet.
NEW! JASMINUM officinalis
'Fiona Sunrise' $7.95 qt
I take my plants with golden leaves whenever I can. When 'Fiona Sunrise'
came along last year, I was captivated and quickly added it to my collection.
I wasn't disappointed. An excellent container plant for a sunny patio, 'Fiona'
enchants with lacy golden leaves on woody stems, meandering their way to
10 feet, if allowed. Otherwise, prune to control its height. I was also
impressed by 'Fiona's' performance in shady areas, although the perfumed
white blossoms that J. officinalis is coveted for in summertime were lacking.
Let 'Fiona' ramble on a wire obelisk, plopped in the garden or in a pot,
and bask in the glow of those illuminating golden leaves. Winter hardy to
Zone 7.
LYGODIUM japonicum (Japanese Climbing Fern) $7.95 qt
Still another irresistible climber. A lacy, delicate, but tough as nails
(can you believe it?) …….fern! I first encountered this living
paradox at the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, NC. Having noticed
a blanket of dainty fronds (actually pinnae) dripping from their entrance
arbor, I unbelievably traced the stems back to the ground. How could this
be? A Japanese climbing fern? Since then, it happily settled in our
nursery with its tropical peers, its lacy veil of delicate green fronds
wandering hither-skither. The possibilities are endless on this one……let
it ramble up a rustic arbor, grow in on a wire obelisk, or offer it as a
graceful waterfall of foliage, cascading from a basket. Shade to part shade.
Height 6 - 8 feet.
MANETTIA inflata 'John Elsley' $7.95 qt
A graduate cum laude from our general listing, now with Collectors' Corner
status. We wept late last summer because so many of you weren't here to
see the incredible profusion of red trumpets on this vining marvel. A plant
more familiar to southerners, where it is hardy to Zone 7, we northerners
can grow it in the ground, containers or baskets. Be sure to place it up
close, where you can enjoy the parade of hummers vying for the nectar-rich,
red trumpets. Show up….don't make us cry again! Shade to part shade….bright
light, not dense shade, is best.
MUHLENBECKIA axillaris (Maidenhair Vine) $4.95 qt
Maidenhair Vine is proof positive that beautiful foliage alone, succeeds.
Widely used for cute and delicate topiary work, this New Zealand native
is also gorgeous cascading out of baskets and pots of mixed plantings, providing
'filler' for your living bouquets. Full sun to full shade. Height 6 inches….spreading
to 24 - 30 inches.
PASSIFLORA (Passionflower Vine) $7.95 qt
We often grow passionflowers in hanging baskets….they seem to bloom
much earlier in summer, producing less foliage and more flowers. Not to
say you shouldn't grow them in the garden, too. Dig the crowns and over
winter them in your basement or garage…a mature plant is spectacular!
Mine winter over in the baskets we grow them in, kept just above freezing
and on the dry side. Full sun to part shade…..ours seem to flourish
in filtered light positions.
'Elizabeth'
Another desirable hybrid with large flowers in purple and white tones, free
blooming.
'Indigo Dream'
Pastel and inky blues, an intricate work of botanical art.
'Lady Margaret'
A unique color in Passionflowers, deep rosy red.
SOLANUM (Potato Vine / Paradise Flower)
jasminoides Variegated $4.95 qt
Usually grown as an annual, the Potato Vine meanders willy-nilly, a dainty
framework of delicate spring green and yellow leaves. Clusters of white
flowers appear sporadically throughout summer and fall. Sun OR shade.
STIGMAPHYLLON ciliatum (Brazilian Gold Vine) $7.95
qt
A picture of delicate beauty…butterflies alighting on dainty yellow
flowers. Often masquerading under the name Brazilian Gold Vine, Orchid Vine,
or Butterfly Vine, this marvel from the family Malpighia was destined for
deserving Midwestern gardeners like us, who thirst for new and unusual vines
that actually bloom in our wretched sweat-house summers. When I first laid
eyes on Brazilian Gold Vine, I was enchanted by the dainty yellow blooms
that resemble oncidium orchids…too good to be true, right? To make
a long story short, it worked! Grown in a container up against the west
side of our red barn (really hot there), it sailed through summer and into
fall always in bloom, meandering its way to eight glorious feet. The bronze
tinted foliage is lovely, too. Sun to part shade. Height 6 - 9 feet.
THUNBERGIA (Clockvines)
T. alata $4.95 qt
The original offering of Black-Eyed Susan Vine from way back when, with
bright orange flowers, eye zoned in black.
T. alata 'Blushing Susie' $4.95 qt
All shades of red and rose, plus pink and salmon, eye zoned in black. Stunning!
T. alata 'Sunrise Surprise' $4.95 qt
A creamy mix of black eyed rose, salmon, apricot, and ivory flowers. Similar
to 'Blushing Susie' with more yellow tones.
T. alata 'Susie White Eyed' $4.95 qt
Sophisticated white blooms with a black eyezone.
NEW! T. x 'Apricot
Smoothie' $4.95 qt
A larger flower, apricot-orange, eye-zoned in black. With silvery, felt-
coated leaves, this new hybrid prefers drier soil conditions than T. alata.
From Flower Fields.
T. x 'Raspberry Smoothie' $4.95 qt
This is a fantastic new color break in this species of clockvines, brought
to us by Flower Fields, in a soothing tone of creamy lavender-pink. This
silvery, felt-coated leaves, this new hybrid prefers drier soil conditions
than T. alata.
Height 6 - 8 feet. Full sun or part shade.
T. battiscombei (Blue Glory Vine) $7.95 qt
A very essential clock vine for that lush, tropical feel. Large funnels
of dreamy lavender-blue trumpets just don't quit, and large, polished green
leaves are the perfect background. A super groundcover, parked beneath towering
elephant ears, or spilling from a large basket. Partial shade.
TRACHELOSPERMUM
asiaticum (Star Jasmine) $4.95 qt
Lovely trained on an iron obelisk, sweetly fragrant creamy yellow blooms
en masse in spring and sporadically in summer and fall. Full sun to part
shade. Height 3 - 5 feet.
VIGNA
caracalla (Snail Vine) $4.95 qt
Awesome corkscrew flowers of lavender, sweetly fragrant. Sun or part shade.