Vines and Vine-like Plants

Clusters of dark red to red-orange daisy-like flowers with yellow fading to red 'eyes' are produced throughout the growing season, and potentially year-round under warm tropical conditions, on this vigorous and easy small to medium-sized vine. The Sao Paulo Mexican Love Vine, a somewhat rare selection of Senecio confusus, is a naturally evergreen, twining herbaceous tropical vine that can be grown as a die-back perennial in areas with mild winters, like zones 9-10 and even into 8B, if provided with a breathable insulative protective mulch for winter. It is vigorous enough to be grown as an annual in colder climates and can also be maintained as a container plant that is overwintered indoors. The Mexican Love Vine, a.k.a Mexican Flame Vine, is a heat and sunloving free-flowering tropical suitable for small to medium-sized trellises, fences, and can even be allowed to spill from hanging baskets. The flowers attract a variety of butterfly species and seem to be especially popular with migrating Monarchs as well as bees and hummingbirds. Provide a full to partly sunny site in any average to well-drained, fertile, average moist soil. Item# 612

The large deep purplish red petals of Ruby Glow Passionflower are topped with a halo of deep bluish purple filaments. A heady sweet fragrance fills the air when this beautiful passionvine is in flower and it may produce very large, up to 3"W x 5"L, yellow tropical fruit if the flowers are cross pollinated by another species, cultivar, or seedling passionflower. Ruby Glow is a vigorous growing, heat loving tropical vine that can reach 20'H under good conditions. Caterpillar host: Gulf Fritillary, Julia Butterfly, Variegated Fritillary, and Zebra Longwing. Item# 631.

Just when you thought you had seen it all and then you encounter this rare form of Confederate Jasmine with its decidedly pink flowers and wonderful fragrance are produced over an extended period in spring! The rich dark green glossy foliage provides the perfect foil for the flowers and its evergreen too! A popular, and durable vine with a twining habit that is able to climb our southern pine species without any assistance. Requires minimal care once established. Item# 3038

Exotic 4-5" wide glowing scarlet flowers are produced from spring to fall on a this vigorous bronze leaved passion vine. The Scarlet Flame Passion is a more vigorous hybrid of Passiflora vitifolia x V. coccinea developed by Patrick Worley and it can become quite large, reaching 25' or more in a season. Where not hardy it can be overwintered indoors with sufficient light. Click the image for more info on growing Passionvines. The red flowering Passionvines are designed for hummingbird pollination but are considered toxic to US butterfly species and so is not a suitable caterpillar host, except for the hybrid 'Lady Margaret' which is a host for the Gulf Fritillary but not for other species of Heliconian butterflies like the Zebra Longwing.Item# 11243

Shiro Bana is an unusual white flowered selection of the Five-leaf Akebia,Akebia quinata. The spicy scented white flowers are born in early spring on this vigorous, semi-evergreen to deciduous vine. The flowers may be followed by 3-4" long purplish fruit. For the best fruit production it is best to plant two different varieties or seedlings and some recommend hand pollination to ensure fruit set. This woody twining vine is adaptable to a variety of site conditions and is pest and disease resistant. Item# 1079.

Thick round silver-green to blue-green foliage adorns this unusual and easily grown drought tolerant succulent-like woody vine. This unusual member of the Cucumber family or Cucurbitaceae lends itself to pyramidal and narrow upright wire forms like the obelisk and is perfect for container culture. Small clusters of tiny yellowish-green flowers are sometimes produced in spring and may be followed by small fruits on female plants. A very unusual and interesting specimen plant. Item # 10002.

Bright rosy pink to rosy red new growth matures to bright white and green creating a yearround splash of color in the garden, landscape, and even as a spiller for containers and over retaining walls. Snow-N-Summer™ Asiatic Jasmine, a wonderfully colorful selection of Trachelospermum asiaticum, creates a tough and easy, evergreen groundcover that has the ability to thrive even under trying conditions. This 6-12" high groundcover to small twining vine 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# 1188

White buds open to the classic pure white tea rose form and then flatten at maturity with the heaviest flowering in spring, usually around Easter, with some flowers on mature plants in full sun in summer and occassionally in fall. The white flowers of Sombreiul Climbing Rose create a wonderful contrast with the exceptionally dark green foliage of this easy and disease resistant heirloom rambling rose well-suited to sturdy supports on an arbor or fence. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a well-drained moderately fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 11920

A climbing sport of the popular found Rose Martha Gonzales, it produces deep red single flowers throughout the growing season. The dark green healthy foliage is accented by dark burgundy new growth. Speedy Gonzales Climbing Rose is another excellent selection and introduction by noted Texas horticulturist and author Greg Grant. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a moderately fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 11672

Clusters of 3-4" long, tubular, waxy buds open to display the long-lasting starry white wonderfully fragrant flowers that are held against a foil of shiny ovate foliage and may be produced throughout the growing season to year round under warm tropical conditions. Stephanotis or Madagascar Jasmine, Stephanotis floribunda, is an evergreen tropical twining vine that makes an easy container plant and is readily trained to small to medium sized trellises although it can climb to 12-15' high where it has a support. This is an old favorite and as Liberty Hyde Bailey states in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture "is one of the best greenhouse climbers" and "There are few plants that have all the good qualities of S. floribunda. It is a splendid grower, has good foliage, is very free flowering, and the flowers last well on the plant or when cut for decorative work." Provide a quality well-drained fertile soil in light shade to full sun. Stephanotis is an RHS Award of Garden Merit plant. Item# 665

Clusters of sunny yellow, 2" long, tubular flowers are produced in late winter or early spring and continue through summer and into fall attracting mainly hummingbirds but potentially other pollinators. Sulphurea Coral Honeysuckle, an older yellow selection of Lonicera sempervirens, is a native, semi-evergreen to deciduous, twining woody vine growing to about 8-12' high and is cloaked in bluish-green foliage. Flowers are followed by 1/4"' diameter bright red berries that are a treat for songbirds. The more restrained habit of these Honeysuckles make them low maintenance selections well suited to arbors, posts, trellises, and fences. Caterpillar host: Chalcedon Checkerspot. Item # 1075

A new twist on an old garden favorite! The glowing golden and golden variegated new growth provide the appearance of a Forsythia but this one revels in Southern summers. The bright yellow flowers which are borne in early spring into summer are almost lost among the brilliant yellow foliage. This a large fountaining to trailing shrub. Item # 9244

Often throughout summer, small, fragrant beautiful bell-shaped nearly white to blue flowers with gracefully recurving 'petals' (in Clematis it is the large colorful sepals that we often most enjoy) of light blue, blue, or purple. Grow the Swamp Leather Flower as a small perennial herbaceous vine that may top out at 5' but can reach 9' high. It can be cut back to 1-2' in later winter after the buds have begun to swell. Item# 10224.

If pollinated, the exotic white and purple flowers produce tangerine sized, large golden yellow fruit with a sweet and tangy but acidic tropical tasting orange flesh that surrounds the small seeds. Sweet Sunrise Passion Fruit is a vigorous growing selection of Passiflora edulis var. flavicarpa. and the ripened fruits can be juiced or eaten fresh. Provide a full to mostly sunny site for optimum vigor and flowering in a well-drained fertile soil. The nectar rich flowers attract larger bees for pollination like bumblebees and carpenter bees. Two different cultivars are required for cross pollination. Item# 11812

A show stopper! Tangerine Beauty Cross Vine produces a huge mass of 2" orange trumpets with yellow throats in late spring with some blooms throughout summer on well-established vines. An easily grown and vigorous clinging native evergreen vine that can easily grow up masonry, tree bark, or other structures without support.Cross Vines are a low maintenance choice for fences, posts, and large trellises. The trumpet shaped flowers attract hummingbirds, bees and other pollinators. The unusual compound, glossy, dark green foliage takes on orange, red, bronze, and purple tones when grown in full sun during fall and winter.  Item# 12029

Clusters of soft yellow-orange tubular buds mature into medium orange tubular trumpet-shaped flowers that darken as they age. Flowering begins in late winter to early spring and continues cyclically throughout the growing season and finishing up in fall at the end of hummingbird season. Tangerine Princess Coral Honeysuckle, a Louisiana selection of Lonicera sempervirens, is a native, twining, deciduous, woody vine that is one of the longest flowering vines for attracting hummingbirds. The mother plant was discovered during a tour of the Dr. Charles Allen Nature Preserve in northern Louisiana with its namesake noted botanist, author, and retired professor Dr. Charles Allen, Ken and Sonie Milton, etal. Coral or Trumpet Honeysuckle will happily twine through a 6' high chain link fence or up an 8' arbor, trellis, or post. Caterpillar host: Chalcedon Checkerspot. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, fertile, well-drained soil for optimum vigor and flowering. 1/4" red berries follow flowering and are a treat for songbirds. Item# 957

Clusters of 3" long yellow, orange, orange-red, or red trumpets adorn this vigorous native vine throughout summer. An excellent choice for hummingbirds. 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. These are seedling grown and so the flower color may be range from a rich orange to nearly yellow to a dark brick red. Item# 11295

Glowing red flowers emerge from large clusters of nearly pure white calyces and create a brilliant contrast to the yellow, chartreuse, cream and green variegated new growth that typically matures to creamy white and dark green. A rare find and a beautiful and easy tropical vine. The Variegated Bleeding Heart Vine makes an excellent choice for a well-lit patio or porch with a northern or eastern exposure or anywhere it is shaded throughout the hottest portion of the day. Looks great on 4-6' high or larger trellis but can be kept to a smaller form if desired. Item # 694.

Large creamy yellow, white, and green foliage acts as the backdrop for large hanging clusters of 3" wide, sky blue trumpet shaped flowers that are produced on new growth throughout the summer and into fall. The Variegated Blue Sky Vine is a vigorous twining tropical vine that revels in the warmth of summer and this form appears to be just as vigorous and sun loving as the solid green form. Evergreen in frost free locations, establish in spring once the danger of frost has past as a die-back perennial vine in zones 8-9, or it can easily be maintained as a container plant where not hardy. Item# 1234

Large deep green heart shaped foliage is veined with silver and randomly splotched with maroon and black. The Variegated Monkey Ball Vine is a vigorous but manageable and unusual perennial twining tropical vine that will grow to the height of its support whether 6' or 30' high. Most resources suggest that it is only hardy to zone 10 but we have it in the ground here in zone 8B and it comes back reliably if well-established before cool fall and winter weather sets in. Also known as Ornamental Yam, Dioscorea dodecaneura, it is late to emerge from natural winter dormancy in spring but grows vigorously once it takes off. It can be easily overwintered indoors as a container plant where not hardy. Item# 3128