Ah, Roselee! Your pictures take me back to Venezuela, the country where I was born. Quisqualis indica vine grows very well there and , yes, the aroma is exquisite!

Omar
PS Has the purple loosestrife I gave you bloomed yet?. Mine is blooming now!

Hi Omar! Great to hear from you on here. It must have been great growing up among beautiful tropical plants in Venezuela.

As for the purple losestrife I did as you said, planted it in a pot with a saucer for moisture and it has buds! The little varigated celery that came as a bonus in the same pot is doing well too, as is everything you gave me.

BTW, a blurb on the Rangoon creeper says it releases its scent at night. This one wafts sweetly all day long!

This photo taken this morning shows how it opens white with pink stripes and then turns red ...

Wow, what an unusual plant. I wish this was smellavision. 24.00 was a lot 14 years ago.

I've never grown it but I just read that you can dig up the suckers around the mother plant (and they will do well), take cuttings, and save seed. Hopefully someone can tell you more than me, LOL.

I love how the flowers change color.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tropical Forum

That's a beautiful plant and you are so patient. Beautiful pictures as always. The mimosa looks a bit like bottlebrush.

Don't let the purple loosestrife get away from you. It is so invasive that in some states it is illegal to even grow it in your own yard. It is quite stunning massed in large open areas, but it has taken over much of the marshland in New England and they have basically declared war on it.

In Venezuela we call the Rangoon vine "Man's mood" because it changes during the day.

Hmm. Your loosestrife only have buds, huh? I thought yours would grow faster than mine because of the higher temperatures in San Antonio. Does it get a lot of sun? Mine is in full sun.

I know that there is plenty of information stating that Lytrum salicaria is very invasive but I've had my loosestrife for 12 years in a pot and I haven't had not even one volunteer. The only way I have propagated it is thru root division. It could be because it's in a pot.

Omar

Here is a link that might be useful: Purple loosestrife

That is sooooo pretty.

The Rangoon creeper is a great vine. So glad you got blooms!
Jim

My favorite vine. It only took a couple of years for mine to bloom. My Rangoon freezes back every year but grows rapidly back. We get down to around 25 to 26 degrees here.

Thanks for the responses. I'm glad to hear that it normally blooms in the second year and that it will bloom after being cut back.

Tammy sent a blurb from the tropical forum where a woman said she grew several Rangoon vines and those with less sun did not bloom much. This one doesn't get a whole lot of sun so that's probably why it hasn't bloomed before. Not sure why it decided to bloom this year -- maybe to tip me off to try it in a sunnier spot -- if I can find one.

Omar, with so many trees in my own and in the neighbor's yards I don't really have a full sun spot to put the purple loosestrife in, but it's not as stubborn as the Creeper it's gonna' bloom anyway -- any day now -- can hardly wait :-)

Thanks for the tip. I'll be sure to keep it in the pot, even though there are no soggy boggy conditions within many miles for it to escape to.

Not that it makes a lot of difference, but it was Patty who sent the blurb. I think the three bottles of fish emulsion I just sprayed around (good time to do it after getting an inch of rain yesterday) is getting to me -- I feel/smell like I'm in Pt. Aransas!

Roselee, I have 2 Rangoon creepers, and the one that gets only morning sun, has been blooming for a month. The one in full sun has just now opened 1 bloom. It was the same last year. It will eventually be covered, but it's just slower to start.
Jim

Thanks Jim, but you just messed up my theory ... ;-) Well, probably not. Mine probably doesn't get more than a brief hour and a half of sun starting mid morning.

But am curious why the one in full sun would bloom later. Does it eventually bloom as much?

Oh yes, Roselee. It will be completely covered, and if I don't deadhead, it will make hundreds of seeds. The one in mostly shade, only sets a few. Well, that's how it was last year, anyway.
Jim

Beautiful Roselee, I enjoy your garden pictures so much. You have so many beautiful plants.

Roselee, that is just the most beautiful vine I've ever seen. You need to build a room around it and move out there to enjoy it year round.

I love the Velvet pod mimosa too. Will they do good in zone 7b/8a?

Roselee and Jim, please let me know if you happen to have seeds of this vine to share. I'd love to try my luck with them!

Thanks!

Omar

Carolann, it's said they are hardy to zone 8a -- down to 10 degrees.

I'd be happy to send some seeds if you want to give it a whirl. They really need to be in full sun so that lets out planting them in a sheltered place like next to the house. I have one in partial sun and it doesn't bloom nearly as much.

Okay Omar, will be watching for seeds on the Rangoon creeper.

Thanks everyone for your comments.

Here is a link that might be useful: Velvet pod mimosa Dave's Garden

That is beautiful! I love that vine, just have nowhere to put it. Martha's Bloomers in Navasota has it at the front of the store and near the back where the restaurant is...it's absolutely gorgeous and smells wonderful (in the back, it's previously been planted with sky vine, I think? Very pretty.).

I've not seen pots of it for sale less than 20 bucks, so what you paid all those years ago is about par for the course.