Dear Lisa I am so glad I found your site. I am an artist working in England. I mostly paint botanical subjects and I was given a photograph of the white spider lily last year from a friend who visited South Africa and found one there. I have since approached The Eden Project in Cornwall, England to see if they had any knowledge of this plant, but they do not. The Eden Project is a major conservation project which has a tropical biome in which the spider lily might thrive. I would be most interested in finding out what growing conditions the lily likes and whether it would be possible to grow it here in the tropical biome. I am also interested in how the lily is polenated. With the anthers being so far apart, we thought that it might be Humming Birds that spread the pollen, with the action of its wings. I would be most intersted to find out as much as possible about this flower as The Eden Project have commissioned a book (the fourth one) and the subject will be exotic flowers. I have been lucky enough to be published in the last book, and if I can get enough information about the lily and a really good image to reproduce in watercolour, I may be accepted for publication again later on this year. I see that you have a list of plants you would like to swap, and it may be possible for me to ask the Eden Project if they have any that we can sent you in exchange for a specimen of the Spider Lily. Its a big ask, but might work, I am going down to Eden in May for a painting day, and will ask the chief horticulturalist then if we can do a swap. I hope I have not taken up too much of your time and would really love to hear from you regarding this lovely and unusual plant. With kindest regards Yours sincerely Ann Jelley

Well, i beg to differ- when cross vine is happy it's pretty thuggy about spreading all over, just as carolina jessamine and autumn clematis can be. I have all 3 (+ trumpet vine, too) popping up all over the place. But it is evergreen and in the winter the leaves turn reddish, so it's pretty. I'd get tangerine cross or a newer hybrid, because the native one likes to climb to the tops the trees before it blooms. It won't bloom unless it's tall tall. We are lucky- our lot slopes sharply, so we actually can see the blooms from our deck starting at about deck height and going to about 40' higher about 120' away. I think you're really smart to steer clear of trumpet vine. I struggle with it all over the place- it's an absolute nightmare. I do let it go up into our 1 giant mimosa (that was here when we bought- i wouldn't plant one and we can mow around this one), and the hummers and butterflies love the combo of the trumpet vine and mimosa flowers. If that mim goes, so will the vine- i don't have any other trees i'd let it take over. They are both flowering in the crown, about 40-45' high. I know, mims aren't normally that tall. This one is- it grew in among shade and big trees and i guess had to get tall to get light. It's trunks are also massive, so it's quite old and amazingly, it appears to be healthy. We cut every last other one off our prop as did our neighbors.

mayland, since you were so kind to post the list for me, here is a list with the scientific names (only the natives, there are a few non-natives that I removed from the list below) - and some of these I could not be sure based on the common name: Anise, Florida Illicium floridanum Anise, Yellow - Illicum parviflorum Ash, Green - Fraxinus pennsylvanica Ash, White - Fraxinus americana Aster, Woods Pink, Woods Purple Aster, Climbing - Ampelaster carolinianus Aster, Yellow Stokesia - Stokesia laevis Azalea, Native spp. Rhododendron spp. Basswood - Tilia americana Beards Tongue Husker Red - Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red' Beautyberry, American Callicarpa americana Bee Balm, Jacob Cline Monarda didyma 'Jacob Cline Beech, American Fagus grandifolia Black Eyed Susan Goldstrum/Herbstonne - Rudbeckia fulgida Goldsturm Blackgum Nyssa sylvatica Blazing Star Liatris sp. Buckeye, Bottlebrush - Aesculus parviflora Buckeye, Painted - Aesculus sylvatica Buckeye, Red - Aesculus pavia Buckeye, Yellow - Aesculus flava Butterfly Weed Asclepias tuberosa Buttonbush - Cephalanthus occidentalis Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis Carolina Buckthorn - Frangula caroliniana Catalpa - Catalpa bignonioides (southern form) Cedar, Atlantic White - Chamaecyparis thyoides Chokeberry, Red - Photinia pyrifolia Clethra, Ruby Spice Clethra alnifolia Ruby Spice Coneflower- Purple and Pale Purple - Echinacea purpurea Coneflower, Glossy leaf - ? Cross Vine, Tangerine Beauty - Bignonia capreolata Tangerine Beauty Cypress, Bald - Taxodium distichum Cypress, Pond - Taxodium ascendens Doghobble/ Leucothoe ? could be Leucothoe or Agarista Doghobble/ Leucothoe Dwarf - ? Dogwood Cherokee Princess - Cornus florida 'Cherokee Princess'. Eastern Mayhaw - Crataegus aestivalis (a hawthorn) Elderberry, American Sambucus nigra . ssp. canadensis False Blue Indigo - Baptisia australis Fern, Christmas - Polystichum acrostichoides Fern, Cinnamon - Osmunda cinnamomea Fern, Dixie Wood - Dryopteris x australis (native hybrid) Fern, Southern River - ? Filbert, American - Corylus americana Fothergilla, Mt. Airy - Fothergilla Mount Airy (native hybrid) Fringetree/Grancey Gray Beard Chionanthus virginicus Ginger, Wild and Callaway Hexastylis arifolia and Hexastylis shuttleworthii 'Callaway' Goldenrod Solidago sp. Gordonia/ Loblolly Bay - Gordonia lasianthus Hawthorn, Parsley - Crataegus marshallii Hearts-a-bustin - Euonymus americana Hibiscus, Swamp Hibiscus coccineus (perhaps) Hickory, Mockernut - Carya tomentosa Hickory, Pignut - Carya glabra Holly, American Carolina No.2 Ilex opaca Holly, Apollo (male) deciduous holly (native/japanese hybrid) Holly, Sparkleberry (female) - deciduous holly (native/japanese hybrid) Holly, Dahoon (female) Ilex cassine Holly, Dwarf Yaupon Ilex vomitoria (various dwarf cultivars) Holly, Savannah Ilex Savannah (native hybrid) Hophornbeam, American - Ostrya virginiana Hoptree - Ptelea trifoliata Hydrangea Annabelle Hydrangea arborescens Annabelle Hydrangea, Climbing - ? (several plants have this common name, could be Decumaria barbara) Hydrangea, Oak Leaf Hydrangea quercifolia Jacobs Ladder perhaps Polemonium reptans (if it is the native one) Joe-pye Weed - Eupatorium purpureum Magnolia, Ash Magnolia ashei Magnolia, Bigleaf Magnolia macrophylla Magnolia, Bigleaf Hybrid Magnolia, Pyramid Magnolia pyramidata Magnolia, Sweetbay Magnolia virginiana Magnolia, Umbrella Magnolia tripetala Maple, Red-leaf Maple Acer rubrum Maple, Chalkbark Acer leucoderme Maple, Red Autumn Blaze - Acer x freemanii Autumn Blaze (native hybrid) Maple, Red October Glory - Acer rubrum 'October Glory' Milkweed, Swamp Asclepias incarnata Mountain Laurel Kalmia latifolia Musclewood/ Hornbeam - Carpinus caroliniana Oak, Laurel - Quercus laurifolia Oak, Live - Quercus virginiana Oak, Northern Red Quercus rubra Oak, Post - Quercus stellata Oak, White - Quercus alba Oats, Upland River - Chasmanthium latifolium Partridgeberry Mitchella repens Passion Vine, Yellow Passiflora lutea Pawpaw Asimina triloba Persimmon - Diospyros virginiana Pipe Vine, Woolly Dutchmans - Aristolochia tomentosa Redbud Cercis canadensis Rhododendron spp. Sassafras Sassafras albidum Sedum Sedum ternatum (perhaps) Serviceberry Coles Select Amelanchier x grandiflora `Cole's Select' Silverbell, Savannah River Halesia (not sure which kind) Silverbell, Big-flowered - Halesia (not sure which kind) Smoketree, American Cotinus obovatus Solomon's Seal, False - Maianthemum racemosum Solomon's Seal, Variegated (not native) Sourwood Oxydendron arboreum Spicebush Lindera benzoin Spiderwort, Danielle hopefully Tradescantia virginiana Stonecrop sedum, perhaps Sedum ternatum? Sugarberry - Celtis laevigata Sunflower, Marcs Apollo - Helianthus Sunflower, Swamp Helianthus angustifolius Sweetshrub Calycanthus floridus Sweetshrub, Athens Calycanthus floridus Athens Sycamore - Platanus occidentalis Titi - Cyrilla racemiflora (perhaps) Verbena some are native, some arent Viburnum, spp. Virginia Sweetspire Henrys Garnet Itea virginica Henrys Garnet Walnut, Black Juglans nigra Waxmyrtle, Regular and Dwarf Morella cerifera Wichhazel, Common - Hamamelis virginiana Yarrow Oertels Rose - Achillea millefolium Yellowwood - Cladrastis kentukea

Don, I find many of the 'scented' ones listed here have no fragrance to me. (But growing up in a house of smokers, I have a "stunted" sense of smell!) I would recommend H. austrailus ssp. tenuipes. I recently did a huge hack job, pulling it out of my tree (I also grow 98% of my hoyas out of doors year round) because the pot hanger broke. I did a real 'hack job' on it, and threw the bits in a tin wash tub... only to have it root quickly and rampantly. I took bits and stuck them in the ground around my property, and they've put on new leaves; deep burgandy with a lime green dot at the tip. The leaves are aging now so the burgandy color is fading to the usual lime green. (SueTran this goes for you too!) I'd be happy to provide you both some cuttings from the mother plant as I am thinking about moving the 18 inch pot in to work and I can almost guarentee some damage from that transport! For the neglectful type (as I am, also) I usually pot my hoyas up in self-water pots. Mostly hanging pots, but I've branched out in many directions. I can't recommend H. bella for S-W pots because it has seasonal fluctuational needs for water and S-W tend to kill them in fall! I've hade austrailus, kerrii, pubicalyx RHP, multiflora, obovata, fungii and carnosa in S-W pots for nearly four years now, and they really do aid in the 'neglect' arena! Good luck, I've been branching out recently and this Neglect Post reminds me I need to go water my newly arrived plants! Good Luck, Don! Don and SueTran, leave a note here, I will contact you. GW ate my DropMeALine ability! Tough having been here since '97, lots of changes!!! (Sue, you can reach out and contact me!)