5/26/04
How to Keep Plants Hanging Around
By: Donna Couch
Last
week we talked about creating exciting bursts of color with
our container gardens. Let’s continue on with our container
gardening, but head in a different direction-up!
That’s right, this week we’ll talk about vining plants.
Plants
that vine do so in a variety of methods. Some grow tendrils
that attach to trellises, wires or walls; others grow up trunks
or stems of other plants to reach for the sky. Whichever way
they grow, vining plants can add a lot of variety to your garden,
even in containers.
I
love the unusual flower of the hoya, or wax plant as it is
sometimes called. The genus hoya has over 200 species with
succulent type leaves, some solid, some variegated, some speckled.
The bloom is very exotic and interesting, and actually reminds
me of an upside-down parachute. Actually the bloom is a cluster
of many blooms. Once the bloom is spent, the stalk will then
produce new blooms. It is a somewhat finicky plant in that
it doesn’t like to be moved during the blooming season,
which can last from May through September. It is crucial to
keep it in good light during this time. Hoya stems will attach
to many different surfaces and can grow to be many feet in
length. The first one I ever saw (to know what it was) was
growing in our shop-right up the roll up blinds and up the
side of the wall! One thing about them is if it is growing
somewhere you don’t want, you can unwind the stem and
direct it elsewhere. Keep the soil evenly moist for best results.
Maybe
you have heard of the Passion Flower, but are you aware of
the story behind the plant? In the early 1600s, a Catholic
friar reported seeing the plant in bloom in Mexico. He wrote
in his journal that it was “the most extraordinary representation
of the Cross Triumphant”. He goes on to describe the
red flower as follows:
" The filaments surrounding the petals represent a fringe spattered with
blood, thus seeming to represent the flail with which Christ was scourged.
The column at which He was scourged rises from the center of the flower, and
the
three nails with which He was nailed to the Cross are above it, and the column
is surrounded by the Crown of Thorns. At the flower’s exact center
there is a yellow zone bearing five blood-colored marks symbolic of the Five
Wounds
inflicted on our Lord. The color of the column, the nails and the crown is
light green. Surrounding these is a violet-colored nimbus composed of 72
filaments
that correspond to the number of spines in the Crown of Thorns. The plant’s
numerous leaves are shaped like a lance head and serves to remind us of the
Lance of Longinus used to pierce the Savior’s side. Their undersurface
is marked with flecks of white which symbolize Judas’ thirty pieces
”
Besides the beautiful red blooming passion flower, a common one in this area
has a greenish white bloom with the fringe in purple. The white one is more
hardy for our area, and can go directly into the ground, but be sure to mulch
thickly for the winter, as they do best when temperatures stay above 45 degrees.
Prune when dormant as the flowers develop on new growth. Fertilize only about
every 6-8 weeks during the blooming season. This plant needs plenty of sun
and evenly moist soil. One of our clients in Briarwood has the most gorgeous
passion vine he got from us last summer. I was by there last week and it was
covered with beautiful blooms and had spread over ½ of the privacy fence.
Talk
about beautiful plants, another one that is a great climber
is the jasmine, and if you want to see one that looks great,
drive past Lamb’s Print Shop going south on Santa
Fe. In the north flower bed just outside their door is
a jasmine
they got from us in 2002. About 2 weeks ago it was so covered
with pale cream blooms you could barely see the green leaves!
Jasmine have green shiny leaves that are beautiful after
the blooms are gone and have no problem attaching to a
trellis
or fence you need covered. They prefer well-drained soil
and really like to dry out between watering. If necessary,
when
planted in the ground, you may need to add sand or have
a good blend of peat moss mixed with your soil to achieve
the best
drainage for this plant. Fertilizing every other month,
except during winter dormancy will help achieve the best
results and
abundant flowering.
A
great indoor climber is the heartleaf philodendron. It can
grow in even the poorest light, and I had one that belonged
to my Granny Montgomery that grew up a post, across the width
of windows and then down about 13 feet along opposite wall
in my dining room. I had mine held up with push pins and staples,
and lived about 12 years. It got sick a couple of years ago
and I had to cut it back. It now has runners bout 4 feet long
again. Mine gets plenty of good filtered light through the
blinds in my dining room, but they have been known to grow
with no other light than from artificial light in offices with
no windows. Actually in early 1930s, General Electric listed
a number of plants that would grow well in artificial light
and philodendrons topped the list as some of the best species.
So for those of you who are looking for that fool-proof plant,
those in the philodendron family are the ones you need to try.
Philodendrons do best in weather no cooler than 60 degrees,
and like soil that drains well.
Hopefully
this will give you some different ideas for both container and
in-ground vining plants to add your indoor or outdoor garden
area. Thanks to all of you who have come by in the past week
to get new plants to add to your container gardens! Its good
to know you are enjoying your articles. We’ll take a break
from gardening next week and Kristi will update you on some decorating
projects. Until then, pray for rain (and for the wind to die
down) and keep enjoying your gardening!
