Four, I have seen a good amount of bloom on plants growing on chain-link fence in Fort Myers...in December. In fact, it was these plants-or is it all one plant-that were the initial inspiration for me to try to use this up here as an annual. I did so over the past growing season, using it as "spiller"-I hate these terms but you'll know what I mean-in some large mixed planters.

To be honest, they won't be back in that capacity. I'd expected more than one lousy flush of bloom in our fairly hot summer here. So, they were blooming in the greenhouse when we took them out to outplant, but that wave of blossoms was soon over with and it took the entire first half of the growing season before they had those amazing orange and yellow daisies again. That's just too much space given over to a rampant green plant. But back to your question, that's about all I know-Dec. in Fort Myers.

+oM

Yeah, green plant.
The other negative flower-related thing is that each flower,
when it has opened as a bona fide flower that is useful to a butterfly,
two days later is drying up

Don't get me wrong-when first I became aware of this vine, it knocked my socks clean off. But you're right, the spent blooms are not too awful dissimilar to a spent dandelion, and nobody really likes that, lol! But for me-my only idea being use as an annual up here in the north-they just didn't spend enough of the summer in bloom to "pay their way". As a green-foliaged vine with occasional bursts of impressive orange/gold blooms..in your area...could be a great one.

+oM

The usual once a year for two weeks has been paltry payback.
Insufficient even if a November repetition were to become a yearly pattern.
True that Its evergreenness is what has spared it from removal.