Yea, I think planting in June was an unfortunate choice. I haven't had any success with planting things in June. Last year I tried some kind of jasmine vine (supposed to tolerate full sun) that was beautiful and flowering in the pot only to crisp up on me a few weeks later when we got some vicious blast furnace wind. I then planted them in the ground where they met their final demise.

Because I've lost so many spring plantings, I've concluded that it's best to only plant things in late September when it cools down and they have all winter long to grow the root structure they need to sustain them through the following summer. When I say plant "things" I mean perennials, herbs, etc. Not vegetables which I plant all year long.

Don't give up Jen, you can have what you want, just plant at the right time and give your plants what they need.

Good luck,

Di

Hmmm..sorry about the troubles with these. I've grown them a few times before and they're fine in full sun in Phoenix or Tucson as long as they get enough water. Are you sure the main stems didn't break? Shading them for a few days and making sure they're not broken AND that their root balls are getting wet seem like good strategies.

Other than that, I'll mention they root easily from cuttings, so snip a couple off, strip off the lower leaves, and plop them in a glass of water inside and see if they perk up, root, and make new plants?

Hopefully they'll turn around for you quickly. Keep us posted. :)

Take care,
Grant

I swear I would have planted them in February if I could have found them then. I nagged my local nurseries for months and months. Now I'm nagging for Corkscrew Vines but I'm thinking if I ever get them I may keep them indoors until October. OK, maybe September. *sigh*

So I had to hang out by the pool all day - what else is a poor gardener to do? :P I draped them in shadecloth - though I'm going out in a bit to rig it up better. I hate having the cloth smash the plant! I misted them on and off all day, too.

I really hope they'll survive if I baby them for a week and then just rely on the shadecloth and a few extra waterings. We'll see. Argh.

Meanwhile, I'm going to snip a few cuttings for insurance. Thanks for that suggestion, Grant. And I double checked the main stems and they're okay.

Thanks for the help. Anybody wanna come swim? All I ask is a little vine care while you're out there...

Jen

Hi Jen,

Good luck...do keep us posted.

I'm growing corkscrew vine (not snail vine) for the first time this year. I got it as seeds from Park Seeds (they sell plants of corkscrew vine and others too of course)--it sprouted fast...you might want to order some from them if your local nursery doesn't get some for you soon.

Take care,
Grant

Here is a link that might be useful: Corkscrew vine from Park Seed Co.

Try putting cloth over the back of a patio chair near the plant (Or anything else taller than the plant) instead of on the plant - might work better for you.

I am also quite enamoured of the Flame vine... where'd you end up getting it?

Grant - Thanks for the link. I'm bookmarking it for now since I don't want to murder anything else in this heat. If I still can't find any here early this fall I'll take the plunge and order them then. Maybe even seeds... if I feel particularly brave. I've only grown really simple things from seeds... like grass, lol!
Pagancat - Have you been peeking at my backyard? I've got the shadecloth draped over both the chairs and fence - it's working fairly well. They're wilty but hanging on. I think some of the problem is shock because I still have one in a pot that I put out there and it's actually doing a little bettter than the planted ones. *sigh*

I took all five vines that they had at Rillito (in Tucson on La Cholla near Orange Grove). I think they only started with 16. I don't know if they're getting more or not but for months all I heard from various nurseries was that the suppliers didn't have them.

I appreciate all your help, folks!
Jen

Grant,

Is your corkscrew growing outside? And is it fragrant here?

Pagan,

I've got some starts of Flame vine if you want one. Lynn and Nancy, yours are ready. :-) Kathleen brought it to my attention that those bright daisies that it makes are FRAGRANT.

btw Lynn, I'm just starting to see 'nubs' on the lilies. So it won't be long before we can get some vips going.

Hiya Judy and all,

Yes, my corskscrew vines are growing outside. I planted them in the ground (seedlings that I started indoors in January) in March. Some are still sulking, but the tallest is about five feet tall so far. No blooms yet, but it should start flowering soon. I keep hearing how fragrant the blooms are, so I'll be sure to let you know if it blooms, and if they're fragrant. So far I'm a little less than impressed with the general vigor, but that may change as it matures.

Take care,
Grant

Wow, Judy - thanks! I'd *love* one. What kind of exposure is it getting?

I went the easy route and got a seedling of the corkscrew vine when they went on sale from Parks - it's in a pretty shady spot next to my porch. It's no where as big as Grant's five footer, but it's spiraling up at about 3'& it's been in for about 1-2 months. I'm kind of concerned that the soil might be too poor for it, but so far, so good. Should it put out any side shoots, we'll see if it'll root for you.

My Flame vine is growing on the trellis that is just north of the house. It gets afternoon shade, morning sun, and watered when I water the roses in the same bed. Didn't I give you a start of it earlier? You're still welcome to another, even so.

Can anyone tell me where the seeds are on this plant? There must be some. I thought the fuzzy little puffballs that appear after the bloom held the seeds, but danged if I can find any. My neighbor has a lush plant and I keep filching these buggers but can't find one seed.

I have two Mexican Flame Vines that I bought from Butterfly Robin on EBAY around the end of April. One is planted in full sun and one gets some afternoon shade. Both are doing very well. Both of them wilted on me a couple of times after planting when we had some early pretty hot days. I gave them additional water and they perked back up. I also applied Superthrive at the time of planting. Now, several weeks after being planted they don't seem to need the extra water. They just seem to need it at first. Shading them for awhile is a good thing until they get more established since you planted them when it was so hot.

Tomato,

I'm sure the seeds are those teensy tinesy pointy things on the end of each separate puff particle. I have no idea if they are fertile or not. Why not just cut off an end of her plant (she won't notice, but it might be nice to ask in case she sees you.) stick it in water and in 3 or 4 weeks you have a plant. :-)

Oh wow last post 2005 well anyway my flame vines are are in 15 gallon Smart Pots here in Phx and doing well so far but I think shade cloth will be a necessity in June and beyond. Got the vines at Lowes in Peoria

My flame vine was beautiful earlier this summer and now it is al.most dead I have looked at it cannot find any bugs and checked the water not sure what is killing it