I finally took out the Wisteria which had been doing -- well, what Wisteria *does*.
Now seeking your recommendations for a pair of vines to frame a South-facing French door in Southern California Coastal.
Would like something beautiful, that has lots of flowers, is a fast-grower, and doesn't pose any problems.
(Is that ALL?)
Hope you experts will come up with suggestions.
(Please excuse earlier "test"; I didn't realize there was a NG just for tests.)
TIA
DarkEnergy
All vines like to do what the Wisteria did - RUN & RUN!!
Tom J
I have a south-facing porch in the Bay Area, and have planted a few Distictis 'Rivers' vines. I initially planted a couple, and they did so well that I got another.
The photo on Monrovia's page:
Patty
Thanks, Patty - that looks really beautiful. I tried to check its growing conditions, and seem to gather that the vine could flourish in So.Calif. as well. Is the flowering season correct, as stated on Monrovia Web site (summer to fall)?
Dark Energy
I think so, but I don't recall exactly. FWIW, they aren't blooming now. :-) But they're still growing!
Patty
i like sweet potaters.
I would never think of sweet potatoes as a decretrative vine for landscaping. If you try it, don't expect any blooms & if you plant Puerto Ricon sets, they'll be bush, not runners.
Tom J
Some climbing roses?
Should cover a door in one season, do tend to need pruning between years, but not as horribly aggressive as things like trumpet vines or bougainvillea.
With a little care and luck and trellis you might get a climbing jasmine up there, not as flowery as some, except in season, but then the smell makes you high!
J.
Amigos y Amigas, I'm really grateful for your suggestions. Since I don't want to be bothered with pruning, etc. it looks like my best bet so far is the Trumpet Vine suggested by Patty. I'll take a good look around a big nursery tomorrow and hope to come up with something trouble-free.
Again, thanks!
Dark Energy
Persephone expounded:
Trumpet vines need *heavy* pruning to keep them in check when growing them against a building, I know, I used to have to tend one. A climbing rose would actually require less.
I let my wife talk me into putting a trumpet vine near a post in our yard for the humming birds. 3 years later it had run roots under a 20 foot wide driveway and was climbing the neighbors tree, and at the same time was attempting to run vines up my house about every 2 or 3 feet. I started taking it out, roots and all, this 3rd year after planting this monster & 4 years later finally eradicated all traces of it by constant watch and digging out all the roots I could find each time it came up for light!! You know what? I HATE VINES!! ESPECIALLY TRUMPET VINES!!!
Tom J
I've got one growing up a telephone pole 40 feet from my house. It has behaved well for 25 years. The pole is soaked in creosote ;))
Bill
I don't want a rooting from it because I know what vines do in my area - they know no stopping place. That includes trumpet vines, ivy, both poison & English, morning glories, honeysuckles & most of all Kudzu!!
Tom J
Bill expounded:
That'd work, especially if there's lawn all around to mow, that way you're constantly keeping the stolons from coming up. They are a pretty thing, just absolutely virulent!
Omygawd, I thought I had my mind made up, but after having been away a few days, I find more comments, some very forceful, against Trumpet Vine!
I DID go to several nurseries, and exhausted myself (bad back) examining and evaluating about 20 different vines.
One thought that might save me: Put vine in large pots rather than into the ground. It will cost a lot more $$ to get two large, handsome pots for each side of the back porch, but might avoid what that poster described. Sounds like the same situation that I had with the Wisteria, where it was coming up all over the yard.
What about pedestrian ole' Clematis? Does it tend to take over as well?
I find myself strongly drawn to beautiful foliage, and definitely want evergreen.
Sigh! Back to the drawing board...
Maybe I should forget about the damn vine concept, and just get two beautiful shrubs. For example, I just LOVE Blue Hibiscus (which is not a real hibiscus at all??), and has the most marvelous deeply indented foliage. I had one years ago, which never suffered from the diabolical whitefly which has infested my (real?) Hibiscus for decades.
Would appreciate your learned comments on the above Blue Hibiscus observations. In that regard, here's a quote from Wikipedia:
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The species was formerly placed in Hibiscus as Hibiscus huegelii, taking its name from Charles von Hügel (Baron von Huegel). The Alyogyne genus has since been revised and the varieties, such as Hibiscus huegelii var. leptochlamys (mauve) and Hibiscus huegelii var. wrayae (white) are no longer classed as subspecies or cultivars. Paul Fryxell, in the journal "Australian Plants" (1966), described the species as one of two in a uniquely Australian genus. Along with Hibiscus hakeifolia, it was transferred in 1968 to one of four Alyogyne species. Later revisions to FloraBase have included new species and previous classification of Alyogyne huegelii is being reordered within the genus. The following varieties are unpublished, though current;
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Dark Energy
You are correct, the Trumpet is just as bad as Wisteria. IF you do get a trumpet vine and put it in a large pot, be sure to put a tray/dish under the pot, because those roots will go right out the bottom. How do I know? :-(
Some of my neighbors do have clematis vines on their mail box post and they seem to stay put!! I don't have the desire to try though!
Tom J
Have you considered Kiwi? You need a male and a female and they have beautiful foliage and can be evergreen in certain areas (I think, so don't take my word for it).
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