I'm devastated......

20 years ago

I need to weep on line.... just a little....though I've already made this lament in the Cottage Garden Forum.

My neighbor just removed the enormous, absolutely glorious, fuschia colored, bouganvilla that covered our shared fence along one side of my whole back yard ... SOB! It not only covered the fence but it sheltered my potting bench and grew up and over the entire roof of my studio (nee garage) and was such eye candy for the soul. Now everything looks so .....so ...... naked .....sniffle. The reason he removed it? He said that it only bloomed on my side (which was true) and I guess I should take as a compliment of some sort. And I knew that it really wasn't very good for the studio's roof, but it was so unbelievable beautiful.... a mass of pure color ....WAAAAaaaaaaa

But...hiccup ... I guess ... sniffle sniffle ... I now I have an opportunity to plant something new, different, and exciting. My husband doesn't want anything that might encourage the same neighbor's resident population of roof rats to move over and into, so no Morning Glory, Honeysuckle, or Spanish Flag. Dutchman's Pipe would be too buggy, as is Snail Vine and most Passion Flower (whitefly is a nemesis in an organic garden). Jasmine and Trumpet Vine don't bloom all year round and I want flowers, color, scent .... the world! Besides I've got most of those already as well as climbing roses, Wisteria, and a few others that I can't remember in my sorrow.

We can grow almost anything here so the selection is vast. Any favorites that you think I just can't live without? I'm thinking maybe a blue/purple version of the potato vine - it would suit my mood - though it sorely lacks in scent. Maybe something 'exotic' or tropical (Spectre where are yooooooo???)that I can't think of in my current funk.

Oh woe is me!

A most tragically bereft Barbara in Hollywood,

"I'm ready for my close up Mr. DeMille".......

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Comments (19)

mjsee
20 years ago
OR--you could plant your OWN bouganvillia..or do they take forever to get big?

My sympathies on your loss.

melanie
Barbara_Schwarz
Original Author
20 years ago
I could plant one but I think my neighbor, who is really very nice and will do just about anything for us, had issues with the messiness (they are) so to be a goodneighbor in return I should probably plant something else.
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mjsee
20 years ago
ah. NOW I get it. Hmmmm...I no less than nothing about zone 9 plants---where's Spectre when we need him?

melanie
mich_in_zonal_denial
20 years ago
Howz about further researching :
Distictis - brillant orange trumpets with yellow throats
Teucomaria capensis - renamed something new now.... I believe Tecoma - makes a solid leafy hedge
Beaumontia grandiflora - great scent
Pandorea jasminoides
Climbing Roses
Bauhinia corymbosa
mjsee
20 years ago
Or Michele, of course!

melanie
Barbara_Schwarz
Original Author
20 years ago
Thanks Everybody!

It looks like IÂm going to have to do some research Â I already have the Pandorea jasminoides but IÂm not familiar with the others. I received a couple of suggestions from the Cottage Garden forum including variegated potato vine, Dicentra scandens, and Senecio confusem. What I'd really like to know is why the Senecio would confuse 'em?? - - - sorry - - - Obviously my mood is improving!

Barbara
spectre
20 years ago
Hi Barbara:

I'm sorry I didn't see your post until now as I was at a cancer conference in Orlando and I just got back last night. Additionally, I am spending most of my GW time on Tropicals and am not frequenting GR like I did in the beginning.

If you'd like something exotic and fragrant, you might want to try Distictus laxiflora (vanilla trumpet vine). It had a long bloom season and the scent of the flowers has mild vanilla aroma to them. The color blends from purple to light purple with a slight yellow throat.

A second option is (I know you said honeysuckle is out, but...) Lonicera hildebrantii (Giant Burmese Honeysuckle). It was common in SoCal in the 1960's but has fallen out of favor now. It has these beautiful big green glossy leaves and blooms with giant yellowish-white honeysuckle flowers that perfume the entire area.

A winter blooming vine worth trying might be Petrea volubilis (sandpaper vine), but without knowing your Sunset Zone (23?), I don't know if it will succeed. It is the tropics' answer to wisteria, blooming with dark violet panicles of flowers from late fall to spring. Another winter bloomer that can get out of hand if not kept in check is Pyrostegia venusta (firecracker vine). I puts out beautiful panicles of bright orange flowers through the winter months when few other vines are not blooming. These vines don't have fragrance.

My suggestion is to choose two that have alternative bloom seasons and plant them together. These are tough vines that can hold their own against the other and give you something in bloom most of the year. Lastly, all of the colors here are either complementary or nearly opposite on the color wheel, so you'll avoid gaudy clashing.

I hope that helps and good luck.

spectre
Barbara_Schwarz
Original Author
20 years ago
We can always count on spectre for coming up with something wonderful and unique. You are a doll!

I still haven't decided as to exactly what I'm going to plant but I know I must have stood in the rain (it POURED yesterday!) for 15 minutes - again stunned then mortified at just how empty that back area now is. I like the idea of several different bloom times - I planned that out on our front fence and it works beautifully. I really love the idea of the giant honeysuckle for the scent but the bare area is awkward to get to and I'd have to tie it up so I'm looking for unbuggy "twine-ers" rather than "tie-ers". I think I'll have to bring one of my gardening encylopedias to peruse whilst the husband drives us home from our weekend commute.

Again, thanks all!
Barbara
spectre
20 years ago
Hi Barbara:

Thanks for the props..."a doll?" My cheeks are hurting from all of the blushing. Anyway, the nice thing about the giant Burmese honeysuckle is that after the wood gets thick enough, it can be self supporting with minimal tying. Another plus is that the wood gets thick very quickly. If you're worried about giant whitefly, place worm castings at the base of the plants periodically and you shouldn't have any problems.

Let us know how it goes.

Really Humbled Doll,
spectre
bahia
20 years ago
Maybe too ordinary, but these two vines give massive amounts of bloom in winter/spring: Jasminum polyanthemum and Hardenbergia violaceae 'Happy Wanderer'. The Queen's Wreath/Petrea volubilis should be no problem in your area, if I can grow it here in Berkeley,(where it is currently in massive bloom). Another vine that I love to use for massive amount of color is Thunbergia alata/Orange Clock Vine, which is almost never out of bloom in coastal locations. Another vine that is a rampant grower and has beautiful blooms besides is Dalechampsia dioscoreifolia, and this also blooms over a very long season. Some of the Clematis such as C. montana are also a vision of white/or pink in their spring season of bloom. Other climbers with lots of seasonal bloom might include Senecio confusus, S. tamoides, Thunbergia grandiflora and T. mysorensis, and Distictis 'Rivers'. Macfadyena unguis-cati is also quite colorful in its bright lemon yellow bloom right about now.
taylor_tx
19 years ago
Spectre-
do you know where I can get any of the distictis laxifolia?
I've searched the web to no avail...
Would you be willing to trade seeds, or cuttings?
I'll be in the Palm Springs area of California in a few weeks...any places you'd recommend I shop for this?
THANKS!
bahia
19 years ago
Try searching under the correct species name, Distictis laxiflora. It is available in California thru several wholesale growers, and possibly mail order as well from the usual sources for tropicals. I don't know of any local nurseries in Palm Springs, but it should be pretty easy to find at a retail nursery such as Buena Creek Gardens in San Marcos, north San Diego County.

As to a couple of other question on specific vines, the Senecio confusum is another wildly colorful twiner with vivid flowers, don't know the why of the name. Senecio tamoides is another rampant South African twiner with great fall/winter bright yellow bloom. The Petrea volubilis is much hardier than Sunset Western Garden Book states, it is perfectly happy against a warm sunny wall in zones 16 and 17, and mine blooms several times a year here in Berkeley, and was unfazed in the 1990 freeze at 25F for 10 days. However, young growth that hasn't hardened off will die back even without freezing temps, especially on young plants until they get some size.

Another vine that is understated in its good looks, unfortunately not at all fragrant, but with beautiful graceful white tubular flowers is Oxera pulchellum from New Caledonia. There is also a new Solanum species from Suncrest Growers that is a good deep blue and virtually everblooming, and is simply labeled with the Mexico state it came from. This is one of my new favorite blue/purple blooming vines.
taylor_tx
19 years ago
yes, oops...I spelled it wrong...
I visited Buena Creek gardens. They didn't have it, but loved my visit. Great to meet Donna, and buy her signature passiflora.
I tried MANY nurseries within a 2 hour radius, and was unable to locate any laxifolia. People were either out, or said to check back in Spring...
*sigh*...
Did get some great things while I was out there, but the laxifolia was top on my list, and the only thing I was unable to get.
-T
Rose_Qld
19 years ago
Hi there
Just passing by....are you familiar with Quisqualis a.k.a Rangoon Creeper? The scent is described as fruit salad-like. Rose.
witsend22
19 years ago
plant another one on your side quick!
amdg1
19 years ago
Have you considered the Silver Lace vine?
Pat
julieNY
19 years ago
Are you there Barbara? I'd love to know what happened next! Which vine did you plant? One I love is trachelospermum jasminoides - don't know how it performs in your zone but where I come from (NZ) it is gorgeous, with a heavenly scent, though can get out of control, like jasminum officinale. I now garden in Long Island so can't have either (sniffle)
seamommy
18 years ago
Me too, I've been waiting to find out what you finally decided to do. Cheryl
momcat2000
18 years ago
Barbara Schwarz died january of this year. This was mentioned february in the cottage garden chat.

I'm devastated......

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I'm devastated......

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