I can't say for sure that it is everywhere, but ours comes back every year and gets up to 6 ft. tall!! Love the stuff!

I've never had it return, and often kill them if in a pot when I drag the pot in for the winter because the tap root out grows the pot!

A few weeks ago on the Denton County Master Gardener's Tour I saw one that the homeowner assured me over winters for her in ground just fine. She cuts it back to the ground at the first freeze and mulches well. She said it even worked 2 winters ago when we had all that snow and ice that hung around here for almost 10 days.

I found some small cheap pots of it at Sprouts last week and bought 4 to give it another try in ground.

There must be a number of varieties of this plant as the only one that has been loyal to me is the one ladybugfruit gave me. I had one come back after the winter of '10, but the same one did not return after last year's mild winter............go figure !! Unfortunately, Erin said she did not know the name of the one she gave me, so I can't be much help there, just know there are some that do survive in North Texas, Cynthia.

I've tried a few in the past that never came back.
I bought Mahogamy Orange in spring 2010 and it has came back the past 2 years. I cut it back before a freeze.
So far it hasn't bloomed a lot, but at least it's alive.
I bought it at Marshall's Grain on Hwy. 121 and they have an orange one outside that comes back every year.
Also there used to be a large yellow one near Trinity High School that I admired year after year.

Thanks all
I have just bought 4 quart size plants. I have them in my new sunny strip of backyard. I plan to put them in several areas and lay flat cinder blocks on the ground over the roots in late fall. This has helped me deny my hort. zone in the past. Hopefully I'll be able to repot success.

Interesting about different varieties with the same appearance. 1 plant came from a different grower. I'll have to investigate!

thanks again...these are such happy flowers
c

I forgot about the orange one I got from Michelle at the plant swap last year...............it bloomed all summer and is back about five feet tall. Hasn't bloomed as yet, but it was a late bloomer last year.

Something else I just remembered.............the one that survived the winter of '10 had a heavy movers quilt over it all winter..............perhaps that is the key.

I guess I need to see about collecting my seeds this year to share! I had no idea they were as hardy as the ones I have, I don't even do anything special to keep them, they just come back.
Carrie, I am glad to hear the orange one made it, that was so pretty last year!

Hey, everyone, I came over to visit and saw this thread. I just purchased this spring, Tecoma gaurame 'Miami Sunrise' from Almost Eden (love their plants, but expensive). It is an orange-flowering cultivar and smaller than other Tecoma species, with an average height of 4.9'. I grew the common form, Tecoma stans, several years ago, and in my garden, it got to about 8 or 9' tall in the ground. It was gorgeous. I really love the Tecomas because they are so floriferous. The hummers and large bees just love them, too.

Not expected to be hardy here, I wondered if anyone has taken cuttings and successfully rooted them. I have read they are easy to root. They are tap-rooted, tho, and sometimes these can be difficult to root.

Appreciate any input you have. My Miami Sunrise is blooming its head off right now.

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Tecoma gaurame 'Miami Sunrise'

Melvalena and Cynthianovak,how did those esperanza do for you?

I just bought one on sale at lowes even though I told myself I would never buy another one.

I thought I'd try mulching or putting a pot over it during the winter, and plant it near the south side of my house so it will get a little protection from the north wind.

I also read this sentence on the Ladybird Johnson wildflower website: Plants native to the southwestern US and adjacent Mexico are Tecoma stans var. angustata, which is shorter, more drought-tolerant, and more cold-tolerant than some of the tropical varieties sold in nurseries.

That probably explains why mine have never come back - I have always bought them at Lowes or Home Depot. Maybe next year I'll look at a native Texas nursery.

This post was edited by marti8a on Mon, Sep 8, 14 at 19:03

Our 'Sangria' t. stans v. angustata didn't recover from bark split at the root collar caused by last winter's long wet freeze. Wasn't blooming when we picked it up in Austin, so didn't realize it's possibly a natural cross with one of the orange tropicals. Grower still rates it to zone 7 like the native angustata, but have seen others raise it to 8 - which is probably more accurate. In fairness, dampness of our clay at an extreme freeze is probably a big factor in survivability.

Also said we wouldn't plant another until a pure narrow leaf yellow bells is found, but couldn't resist 'Bells of Fire' when it showed up at Calloway's... so figure might have 2 or 3 years before the next esperanza killing freeze to try to grow angustata from seed.

Here is a link that might be useful: 'Bells of Fire' Esperanza