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Questions about Clytostoma callistegioides

peachymomo
11 years ago

Hello again, I've been too busy to post for a while but I'm back with more questions. I just went to the nursery to pick up a few Clytostoma callistegioides vines for my trellis and I just couldn't bring myself to spend $22 each on such sickly looking plants. The Carolina jessamine and Clematis armandii on either side looked so much better I was tempted to get some of them, but I just had to come here for more opinions before I decided to change my plans on a whim.

So, is this what I should expect of these vines in the winter? Do you think these particular vines were unhappy, getting too much sun, sick, dying, etc.? Any reason they would look so terrible but another I might get would look much better? I'd be happy to go to a different nursery for healthier specimens, I just wanted some encouragement first.

Comments (5)

  • JXBrown (Sunset 24, N San Diego County)
    11 years ago

    They are common here in San Diego. We just whacked a big one down in a general garden re-boot. They are evergreen, but the Monrovia site says zone 9-11, so it may be questionably hardy where you are.

  • peachymomo
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    That's what I was worried about. This nursery is a couple miles down the road from my house and they propagate and grow most of their own plants, so they should perform about the same in my garden. With the one big difference being they have these vines in full sun and mine will be getting mostly dappled shade.

    As long as they are able to recover and look pretty in the spring I wouldn't mind, because they are so beautiful in bloom. If given the choice between a vine that looks good year round but never looks amazing or one that is gorgeous for part of the year and funky looking in the winter, I would choose the prettier one and deal with the winter bareness.

  • bahia
    11 years ago

    Look for the vine as a mature plant in your neighborhood to help you decide. This vine is the most frost sensitive of the 3 you mention, and may have defoliated from the cold, but leafs out again once it warms up. If you regularly get down to 25ðF or lower each winter, it will always look stressed each winter. In a Sunset zone 8 this vine can be gorgeous, but is also subject to freeze damage in a severe winter. The Carolina Jessamine can be great or spindly in your zone, but is definitely cold hardier and can also have fantastic bloom. The Clematis armandii is also very showy in full bloom with attractive foliage year round. All three do well with bright shade/dappled sun; feed and irrigate regularly for best results.

  • peachymomo
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks Bahia!

    I think I'll wait until spring is fully sprung before deciding, I'm going to go on some garden tours and hopefully I'll come across a good example of a healthy and happy Clytostoma vine.

    I like the look of the Caolina Jessamine but read that it's toxic to bees, I would rather have a bee friendly vine so I think I'll pass on that one.

  • gcbunnell
    11 years ago

    I live between Oroville and Chico at 480' elevation, and I have 3 areas of Clytostoma vine, all looking pretty good. One vine is a two year old vine started from a cutting; another vine is two years from a one gallon container. The third area has vines of Clytostoma for over 10 years. All of them are in semi-shaded areas, and all have survived temperatures down in the 20's.

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