2 questions.

14 years ago

First- can I grow a climbing oleander in a container? I really love them, but obviously they won't live outside in zone 6. How large of a container would I need? What can I expect from the plant, as far as growth habits, growth rate, etc? If I order a small plant from a tropical plant nursery, will it bloom this year? I can't find a great deal of information on them online, or at least not answers to the questions that I have.

Second- I'd really appreciate some suggestions for climbing vines for the following areas and with the following stipulations:

1. Chicken Coop: Full Sun on 2 sides, Shaded on the back side by the coop itself. The coop sides are wood boards, so if the vine suggested will not attach to the wood, please advise how to train it. I'd like vines that are perennial in zone 6, and preferably very fast-growing. I prefer flowering vines, but a mixture of flowering and non-flowering would be okay, so long as the non-flowering vines have interesting foliage; a non-flowering vine with fall foliage would be fantastic. My current considerations are sweet autumn clematis and possibly hops. But I know there are so many wonderful vines out there that I'm not aware of. I do not want morning glories. I made the mistake of planting some of those on a trellis by my front door, and now I can't get rid of them and they pop up everywhere and try to smother out my other flowers.

2. North-ish side of my house. Completely shaded, although the front corner gets afternoon sun. I'd love something heavily scented, because coincidentally, my bedroom window is at the front corner with the afternoon sun, and it'd be fantastic to have something that would waft scent through an open window. My house is vinyl sided, so I need something that will attach to that, or hints as per how I can attach the vines to the house. It'd be fine by me if the entire side of the house wound up covered; it's a small cottage-y house, and I love the look of vine covered walls. Again, prefer flowering, and would like to do a mixture of flowering and non-flowering. Looking for something unique; don't particularly want regular old ivy. Haven't really come up with any great ideas here. The faster it grows, the better.

Thanks for any suggestions/advice!!!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

karyn1
14 years ago
Hi. Strophanthus gratus (climbing oleander) does well in a container. I keep mine in full sun and water it well during the growing season. I'm in zone 7 so I keep it protected (in a greenhouse) and cut back on watering over the winter.

Not really sure what vines would do well. Maybe clematis and akebia quinata. I'm sure people will have suggestions. I grow mainly passion vines, tropical vines and MG's.

I have a wood slatted fence and screw small C hooks into the wood and run nylon fishing line between them for vines to grow on. It's almost invisible even when not covered with growth and the fishing line is quite strong.
sbradley
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the response! The fishing line is a great idea.

I grew a passion vine last year...I think it was just a P. cerulea, I ordered it from Spring Hill Nursery. Holy cow, I had no idea it would grow that fast. It was fascinating though, everyone that saw it thought the flowers were fake! I'm planning to order a couple more this year from another source. I'm looking at Incense and Maypop, because it says they're both hardy in my climate zone and I'm thinking about planting them on my chicken coop.

Since you're so familiar with the passion vines, let me ask you this...does planting them in a pot restrict their growth and vigor terribly? If I potted one so that I could winter it indoors, with the intention of setting the pot beside whatever I want the vine to cover, would it's growth be terribly slowed and stunted because of the restrictions of the pot?
Related Professionals
Beachwood Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Mitchellville Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Burlington Landscape Contractors · Arlington Landscape Contractors · Burlington Landscape Contractors · Dedham Landscape Contractors · Fair Oaks Landscape Contractors · Lorain Landscape Contractors · Newnan Landscape Contractors · North Canton Landscape Contractors · Paramount Landscape Contractors · Severna Park Landscape Contractors · Tigard Landscape Contractors · Hueytown Landscape Contractors · Bensenville Landscape Contractors
karyn1
14 years ago
I have passion vines in large containers that get huge. I just cut them back to get them inside to winter over. I also sink pots of passion vines and lift them in the fall. P. incense, incarnata and caerulea might or might not be hardy in your zone. I've had those in the yard for several years and the winter of 08/09 was so cold that they didn't return this spring. I planted more in the yard but have potted ones as well, just in case.

I wouldn't buy a thing from Spring Hill. They have one of the worst reputations of any mail order nursery. We can no longer link garden-watch-dog.com (remove the dashes) but you might want to take a look.
sbradley
Original Author
14 years ago
I know (now) about the WatchDog. :) I didn't know it existed prior to having ordered from Spring Hill...but honestly, I didn't have a single problem with them. When I received my order a few things were missing...I called them, and within a week I had the missing items. The other plants I bought were perennials, and while very small, they were all healthy and did quite well over the summer, and I'm curious to see how they do this year. And the passion flower was as healthy as she could be and grew like a weed. Maybe I just got lucky, lol.

I was actually planning to order my passions this year from Logee's. Maybe I should check the WatchDog first.
karyn1
14 years ago
Logee's is very over priced for what they send. They have a nice variety and their plants are healthy but you can get the same plants only nicer and less expensive at many other nurseries. You can email me directly if you want a list of reliable online vendors. You can also check the R&R vendor forum here and GWD.