Well Bear, I DO hope to be wrong, but I've lost TWO like this over the last couple of yrs., I know that particular color of fade. But you are trying reasonable remedies. If you've got any VF-11 I'd try some of that as well. I'll certainly wish you good luck in this. Mine were EA & had tags, that's why I'm recognizing the whole plant. I don't think it's a bad thing to take cuttings of one's plants as insurance. Sometimes I do it to give friends, or folks who I know can grow something better than I; sometimes just 'cause I like the plant well enough to have more than one around. 'Til recently I had my original H. kerrii in the bathroom window, (frosted which it loves), but also two other pots of its cuttings as well.

I have heard of plants being stolen, especially back in my apartment days, they were always being taken from first floor patios. I would be very upset if someone stole a plant that I nurtured from a cutting or one that was difficult/expensive to get. Squishy slugs between your toes? I think certain areas, even within an area, have slugs worse than others. I grew up in a town not far from where I am living now and we had a pool, which meant alot of being in the back yard, even at night. I know the "stepping on slugs" feeling very well, those big slimy grayish tan ones with the black or brown markings. My mother would try to trap them all with saucers of beer. The only big difference between that area and where we live now is that the soil here is much, much sandier (pine barrens) Maybe slugs don't like the sandier areas. Good Luck with your plant too, my cutting has been planted about 7 weeks, and started showing some branching about 2 weeks ago, so yours should do the same. The only thing I do that others may not is mist several times a day, especially indoors.

I've heard this one likes cold (perhaps a detectable change between day temperature and night?) so I'm experimenting with it by placing it in my bathroom, where it doesn't get much light, is cold at night and gets daily steaming when I have a shower (!). Mine lost a few leaves last year over the winter so I'm watering it very irregularly now. It grows really well when given fertilizer (I only fertilize during the summer) but as yet, I haven't seen any flowers. Next year I'm going to cut it so that I can get a fuller plant, left it a bit late now for this year!

No, I would not cut the vine. If it were mine, I would insert a stronger trellis, I used a tomato ladder from Gardener Supply Co. which is about 36 inches long, and wrap the vines gently around the trellis while they are still pliable enough to do so. If I couldn't find a steel trellis, I would insert 1 or 2 more bamboo hoops and do the same. Your plant looks very healthy, so you are definitely giving good care. It is tricky with that full southern exposure. The leaves will burn some with no shade at all. I might put up a temporary expansion rod with a sheer curtain to cut a little of the intensity from the sun. It is remarkable how relatively little light imperialis actually needs to bloom, but I'm afraid that wooden blind it is cutting too much light from the vines with the peduncles. I'm attaching a photo of the tomato ladder that I have used on my imperialis. Your trellis needs to be strong, because these plants are big, stiff, and heavy. Here is the plant eight months later: Try to keep your watering as consistent as possible letting the top half inch dry before giving it a good drink. Also, you may just have to be really patient with your plant, as many people have to wait years for buds to make it to term. I lucked out with my seedling having very good genetic material. It produced these flowers at about 24 months of age.