Blue SkyVine issue...

15 years ago

I'd love some help with this issue...maybe you guys can suggest something that I have not thought of?

The goal was to cover a spot of fence that my property boarders with my neighbor's property. The point of the vine was to obliterate the view of my neighbor's garage so I can pretend it doesn't exist by looking at pretty blue flowers.

I didn't plan on my gi-normous oak creating too much shade so I never get any $%#@! blooms.

Nor, did I plan on SkyVine being the blue flower equivalent to Kudzu!!

My citrus trees regularly get tangled with vines from the plant....I take the hedge trimmer and cut the vine back almost weekly. Only to see it has grown another foot long tendril by the next morning!! Okay...slight exaggeration, but not by much.

I don't know what to do anymore! I don't want to look at the neighbor's house...but trimming that this vine requires (weekly) is becoming a chore. I love the leaves...everything is so green and pretty.

Suggestions? Other than buying a machete?

Pics of "The Jungle"...to say the least, it's due for another "trim"...I just trimmed it two weeks ago...

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Comments (6)

the_musicman
15 years ago
Vigorous, to say the least. Don't stand in one place too long, it'll suck you in! You may need a not-quite-so-rampant vine to do the same job. Confederate jasmine comes to mind. There are passionflowers that could work too.

My BSV started out earlier this year as a 1-gallon potted plant
and managed to just about take over a 12x12 trellis in 4 months.
No blooms yet, either. Strange, because it gets about 6 hours of sunlight every day.
Anyone else had this problem? Does BSV take some time to set flowers?
SaintPFLA
Original Author
15 years ago
MusicMan....do you want another BSV?...free to a good home!

I have found that fertilzing regularly does help the blooms to continue. My neigbor's side of the fence is covered with blooms...as that is the side facing 8 hours of sunlight. It really needs to be in a 7-8+ hours of sunshine spot.

It's so beautiful...I'm sad to lose it. But, I don't know what else to do anymore!
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scents_from_heaven
15 years ago
You need to send it to obedience and finishing school and teach it how to behave and conduct itself properly in public, Sounds like it is not doing the job for you and that you need something else to take the place that likes semi shade. How about bambpp pr something along those lines
katkin_gw
15 years ago
I have the same problem with the sky vine, just way to vigerous. The thunbergia comes in other colors and I don't think they are as bad. There is a dark purple one, the name escapes me now, that is lovely.
manature
15 years ago
And yet mine, which is planted in full sun, is languishing. Hasn't grown to more than 6 feet tall and two feet wide all spring and summer! Go figger!

I did have one out back that grew to enormous size, but like yours, the side facing the sun was growing into my neighbor's yard, threatening to take over their patio. And all the flowers were over there. NONE in my yard. So I moved that one, and it promptly died.

I love this vine, and where I have mine planted now, it would be welcone to run 20 feet in both directions. But it's not happy for some reason. Wish we could BLINK yours off of your fence and onto mine. Then I'd have my BSV and you could try something less vigorous.

Good luck!
Marcia
SaintPFLA
Original Author
15 years ago
Marcia - would you like my vine? I hate the thought of just throwing it away.