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nmcnear

Looking for a tropical (-looking) vine for the SF Bay Area

nmcnear
12 years ago

Hi everyone,

I have a wrought iron fence in my yard that looks pretty bare, so I wanted to plant some sort of bold flowering vine to grow on it. I am interested in tropical and tropicalesque species, but there are so many I don't know where to begin. There are certain requirements that must be met, mainly environmental:

1. Full sun (it's an east-west facing fence).

2. Frost hardy. Light frost is pretty much guaranteed here in the winter, though air temperatures below freezing are uncommon, and temps into the mid-20s are rare (lowest I've ever recorded is 27 degrees).

3. Must be tolerant of hot, dry summers. The plant will be watered regularly, but must be able to withstand temps into the 90s/100s with low humidity.

4. Preferably evergreen, but foliage loss in a sensitive species due to cold temperatures would be OK as long as the actual plant doesn't die.

5. No white flowers... Just a personal preference. ;)

I've been finding lots of stuff I like the appearance of, but I keep reading conflicting information about their hardiness online, so I wondering who has experience with the following species outdoors in the Bay Area:

Bignonia capreolata - Crossvine

Clerodendron splendens - Pagoda Flower

Gloriosa rothschildiana - Glory Lily

Passiflora sp. - Passion Flowers (see so many varieties for sale but I don't know which are hardy)

Pyrostegia ignea - Flame Vine

Quisqualis indica - Rangoon Creeper

Thunbergia mysorensis - Clock Vine

There are probably a lot more I don't know about, so throw out some suggestions/info if you have some! I was originally considering Bougainvillea, but after reading about the mess they make and their gnarly thorns, I think I'm going to have to pass on them.

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