Vines and Vine-like Plants

Along with the Coral Honeysuckles, this is easily our top recommended vine for attracting hummingbirds! The bright red, 2" long, tubular flowers are born in profusion from spring to fall on this vigorous but small growing perennial vine that appears to have been perfectly designed for hummingbirds. Few other manageable, perennial, hummingbird attracting vines can compete with the John Elsley Firecracker Vine, a selection of Manettia cordifolia, when it comes to sheer flower power! This is an easy to grow twining, herbaceous vine that dies to the ground in winter in the northern parts of its range and readily returns each spring from potato-like tubers. Easy enough to overwinter in a container indoors where hardiness is questionable. Item# 418

Along with the Coral Honeysuckles, this is easily our top recommended vine for attracting hummingbirds! The bright red, 2" long, tubular flowers are born in profusion from spring to fall on this vigorous but small growing perennial vine that appears to have been perfectly designed for hummingbirds. Few other manageable, perennial, hummingbird attracting vines can compete with the John Elsley Firecracker Vine, a selection of Manettia cordifolia, when it comes to sheer flower power! This is an easy to grow twining, herbaceous vine that dies to the ground in winter in the northern parts of its range and readily returns each spring from potato-like tubers. Easy enough to overwinter in a container indoors where hardiness is questionable. Item# 418

The large, 3-4" wide, raspberry red flowers are centered by a corolla of raspberry red filaments that fade to bright white at the center. Lady Margaret Passionflower is a prolific flowering hybrid that is a showoff throughout the year in frost free conditions. The fuzzy foliage and stems are utilized by Gulf Fritillary but are not considered safe for Zebra Longwings and possibly other species of Heliconian butterfly caterpillars. A tamer passionvine than many others but it certainly does not lack for vigor. Click on "More Details and Growing Info" or the image to learn more about growing Passionvines as perennials in containers or in the garden and landscape. Item# 484.

Deep purplish red buds open to deep pink tubular flowers with creamy white lips that fade to yellow as they age and produce a sweetly fragrant aroma which is most intense in the late afternoon and evening. The Late Dutch Honeysuckle is an RHS Award of Garden Merit winner popular for its dark blue-green foliage, red to purple tinged new growth, longer flowering season, and good garden manners. The fragrant late spring flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds and may be followed by clusters of brilliant red berries. Provide a full to mostly sunny position in with an average to well-drained soil. Item# 11479

Large clusters of purple-lavender blooms are born in spring, summer, and fall in warmer climates like S Florida. With shiny rich green foliage that smells of Garlic when crushed, the Lavender Garlic Vine seems to keep vampires and most other pests at bay. Item# 942

An exceptionally free flowering passionvine, Lady Lavender produces 3-4" wide, lightly fragrant flowers with purple sepals and petals that fade to near white near their base. The flowers are topped by a corona of blue filaments that fade to white and then darken to deep burgundy at their base. Lady Lavender Passionflower is a sterile Patrick Worley cultivar considered to be hardy to near 10oF. It is large and vigorous enough to cover a medium to large trellis easily in one season or it can be enjoyed as a container plant where not hardy. Provide a full to mostly sunny location and a moderately fertile soil with average drainage for the best flowering. Click on "More Details and Growing Info" or the image to learn more about growing Passionvines as perennials in containers or in the garden and landscape. Item# 11444

Considered to be one of the best flavored Passion Fruit varieties that gets four stars for flavor! This is a popular Hawaiian variety and Lilikoi is the Hawaiian name for "purple passionfruit". This tropical climber is a very easy and strong-growing, perennial vine with dark glossy green foliage and dark purplish green stems and petioles and produces exotic white and purple flowers which are followed by purple, rounded fruit, about the size of tangerines. Item # 9168.

Up to 1" wide dense double wonderfully fragrant white flowers are produced in abundance throughout the growing season to year round under warm tropical conditions. The Little Duke Sambac Jasmine is an old cultivar with a compact upright to scandent (a.k.a. vine-like) habit and slightly smaller flowers that is a more vigorous prolifically flowering plant than the Grand Duke of Tuscany Jasmine. The dark green elongated to rounded foliage is reminiscent of Grand Duke Supreme Jasmine but Little Duke Jasmine has denser flowers and is expected to be more compact making it a good choice for container culture or bonsai. Provide a full to part sun site in a fertile well-drained acidic soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 12272

Clusters of deep orange 2" tubular flowers with yellow throats are held above the rich blue-green foliage of this selection of the tame native Coral Honeysuckle. This easily grown evergreen vine is an excellent choice for hummingbirds and butterflies that may produce flowers basically year round with peak flowering in early to mid spring as the Humminbirds arrive. Item# 9573.

Large clusters of 1" wide starry golden yellow flowers with anthers that age to a contrasting red may be produced throughout the year under warm tropical conditions. The flowers attract bees and butterflies and if pollinated they are followed by 3/4-1" wide helicopter-like samaras. Maiden's Jealousy, Tristellateia australasiae, is a naturally evergreen tropical twining woody climber with rich green foliage and purplish stems on the growth. It can be grown in the ground in areas with mild winters and can also be grown as a container plant where not hardy. Provide a full to mostly sunny site for optimum flowering. Maiden's Jealousy should be fairly tolerant of soil types as it is a component of Mangrove swamps and coastal forests in Tropical Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Australia. Item# 12026

Considered by many to be the best of the red flowered Coral Honeysuckles. Major Wheeler produces loads of large clusters of deep red 2" tubular flowers with yellow throats are held above the rich blue-green disease resistant foliage of this selection of the tame native Coral Honeysuckle. Image courtesy of North Creek Nurseries. Item# 9719.

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A freely flowering hybrid, Mandarin Honeysuckle produces clusters of up to 15 or more, 3" long red to reddish-orange tubular, widely flaring flowers that show off the lighter colored, yellow-orange throat and petals. A hummingbird magnet! The show begins in late spring and lasts into fall on established plants. A RHS Award of Garden Merit winner! Image courtesy of Spring Valley Greenhouse. Item# 10476.

Clusters of 4" long pastel orange-yellow tubular flowers adorn this vigorous native vine throughout summer. Trumpet Creeper is an excellent choice for hummingbirds and we thought it was appropriate to name this naturally occurring Almost Eden selection after the Green-Breasted Mango Hummingbird just in case they get to visit one in your yard. Trumpet Creeper's vigor, tolerance of poor soils, and durability lend it to use in difficult sites. Use as an espalier, allow it to climb a sturdy fence, or cover an arbor. Item# 11374

Masses of primrose yellow, 1" long trumpets herald the coming of spring and have a strong Jasmine-like fragrance that is produced in early evening and at night suggesting that they are pollinated by hummingbird or sphinx moths as well as by native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. *It is not a suitable nectar plant for honeybees. Margarita Carolina Yellow Jessamine, with larger flowers, more flowers, and improved cold hardiness over the species surviving -25^oF at North Creek Nurseries in Landenberg, PA. This a native, twining, evergreen to semi-evergreen vine with glossy, dark green, narrow foliage that can climb up to 20' high but is just as happy on a 6' fence or other sturdy support. The species, Gelsemium sempervirens, is native to the southeastern US, but, Margarita was selected by Don Jacobs of Eco Gardens in Decatur, Georgia. Provide Carolina Yellow Jasmine with a full sun to mostly sunny site in an average to well-drained, fertile soil for optimum growth and to maximize flowering. Although, it is shade tolerant it doesn't flower as profusely. Tough and easy as well as drought, deer, and rabbit resistant. Its fragrance is enough to stop you in your tracks on an evening stroll! A Pennsylvania Horticulture Society Gold Medal Award Winner! Item# 9071

The Maypop Passionvine or Passion Flower produces a summer long display of 2-3" wide white, lavender, and purple exotic flowers that are held against medium green tropical foliage. Pollinated flowers are followed by round passion fruit that ripen to yellow and contain a tangy tropical tasting clear flesh that surrounds each of the small black inedible seeds. This easy to grow perennial native vine can grow to 15-18' each year if given a suitable support but it is also happy to clamber along a fence, trellis, or any other support that it can grasp with its strong tendrils. Provide a well-drained soil and a full to mostly sunny position for the best results. The Maypop is the caterpillar host for the Gulf Fritillary and other members of the Longwing family as well as the Variegated Fritillary. Click on "More Details and Growing Info" or the image to learn more about growing Passionvines as perennials in containers or in the garden and landscape. Item# 500

Clusters of bright orange 1-2" wide, daisy-like flowers with a yellow 'eye' that matures to orange are produced throughout the growing season to potentially year-round under warm frost free conditions. The Mexican Flame Vine, Senecio confusus, a.k.a Pseudogynoxis chenopodioides, is a naturally evergreen, small to medium-sized, herbaceous, twining tropical vine whose nectar and pollen-laden flowers are favored by butterflies, especially migrating Monarchs, as well as bees and hummingbirds. It is known to be a root hardy perennial in zones 9-10 and even in 8B if provided with a breathable insulative mulch for winter. It can be easily overwintered as a container plant and it is vigorous enough to enjoy as an annual where not hardy. Use this easy and vigorous vine on trellises and fences or allow it to spill from a hanging basket. Provide the Mexican Flame Vine with a full to partly sunny site in an average to well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 505

The 2-3" wide light sky-blue trumpets with yellow throats are produced throughout the warmer months of the year, to year-round under warm tropical conditions, attracting bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds all on a compact upright to spilling plant with medium green foliage. The Natal Blue Bell, Thunbergia natalensis, is very similar to the slightly more commonly grown Blue Glory Vine, Thunbergia battiescombeii. Like its cousin, this is a tropical herbaceous perennial producing a multitude of upright to sprawling stems to about 18-24" high and sprawling to about 36-48" wide and it can be enjoyed as a container plant or in the ground in zones 9 and warmer. Provide the Natal Blue Bell with a partly sunny to partly shaded site in a fertile, well-drained, average moist soil for optimum vigor and continuous flowering throughout the growing season. Item# 12703

Dainty greenish yellow passionflowers are produced throughout summer and are followed by small black edible/inedible fruit. The Native Yellow Passionflower is a small to medium sized perennial vine with apple green tri-lobed foliage that is often splashed with light silvery variegation. Considered to be one of the most cold hardy Passionvines it is also fairly well mannered making it suitable for container culture. The Yellow Passionflower is found throughout most of the central and eastern US within its hardiness range. A host plant for the Gulf Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary, Zebra Longwing, Julia, and other Heliconian butterflies and the Passionflower Bee. Click on "More Details and Growing Info" or the image to learn more about growing Passionvines as perennials in containers or in the garden and landscape. Item# 11046

The loose hanging flower clusters of the rare Nong Nooch Vine can reach over 4' in length! Long-lasting bright yellow bracts subtend the creamy white tubular flowers and the dark green tropical foliage makes a wonderful foil for this easily grown tropical climber that blooms throughout the warmer months of the year. Grow the Nong Nooch Vine as a vine on small to medium-sized trellises or allow it to trail in hanging baskets. The flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and likely larger bees. It can be grown in full sun but greenhouse grown plants, like ours, should be slowly acclimated to sunny conditions or leaf burn may occur. Provide an average moist to moist but never soggy wet, fertile, well-drained soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 10045

Shades of red, burnt orange, golden yellow, and green are randomly splashed across the glossy evergreen foliage of this durable groundcover. Ogon Nishiki Asiatic Jasmine, a.k.a. Salsa, Summer Sunset, and Golden Brocade, creates a fiery splash of color anywhere in the garden or spilling from containers, over walls, or even from hanging baskets. Trachelospermum asiaticum is a naturally evergreen, 6-12" high groundcover to small twining vine that can produce creamy yellow fragrant flowers similar to Confederate or Star Jasmine, Trachelospermum jasminoides, when grown as a vine or when allowed to trail from hanging baskets and over retaining walls, though it is generally infrequent and is the exception rather than the rule. Few plants can compete with the disposition of this dense groundcover once it is fully established in the landscape making it an easy and reliable choice for landscapers and tough to garden in areas, like beneath trees, where few other plants can thrive or in parking lot islands. It is heat loving, both sun and shade tolerant, deer and rabbit resistant, and has few pest or disease issues particularly when grown in soil with average or better drainage. For the best and brightest foliage coloration some direct sunlight during the day is beneficial and the more the better. Probably best suited to zones 8 and warmer for inground plantings but it can be used as a groundcover in containers beneath larger plants. Item# 941

One of the neatest plants you can grow! The unusual 2" high green and white parachute shaped flowers are produced on and off throughout the warmer months and potentially year-round under warm tropical conditions. The Parachute Vine, Ceropegia sandersonii, is an easy to grow and enjoy naturally evergreen twining succulent with glossy very dark green fleshy foliage and equally dark stems that can potentially reach 8-12' but can easily be maintained on an 18-24" or larger trellis. It prefers partial to filtered shade to high indirect sunlight, the latter in hot summer climates, and a well-drained fertile soil making it an easy choice for container culture including as a hanging basket specimen. The Parachute Flower has been selected as a Royal Horticulture Society of Award of Garden Merit Award winner thanks to its ease of culture and reliability. Item# 9182