Earlier this summer, I wrote about one of my favorite 'natural beauties' in the garden, Yellow Bells. Today, I would like to introduce you to one of my favorite summer vines which is a wonderful example of 'natural beauty'.
Queen's Wreath vines grace the Arizona State University campus.
Queen Wreath Vine (Antigonon leptopus) is a wonderful asset to my garden. This 'natural beauty' is a vine that is native to Mexico and Central America. Stunning pink sprays of flowers appear in spring and last until the first frost. *In tropical areas, it can be considered invasive, but here in the desert, it is easily managed.
In our desert climate, they do require supplemental water, but no fertilizer is needed. Bees are attracted to the beautiful flowers and I love the pretty heart-shaped leaves.
A wall of Queen's Wreath at ASU
Queen's Wreath is a tough vine. It can grow in full sun including areas of reflected heat. It will also grow in light shade although flowering will be reduced.
The only maintenance required in my garden is pruning it back in winter once it dies back after the first frost. However the roots are hardy to 20 degrees F and in the spring, it quickly grows back with a trellis, fence or an arbor for support.
What natural beauties are enjoying in your garden this month?
I will be sharing another favorite 'natural beauty' from my garden soon.
26 comments:
I'm afraid it wouldn't be hardy in my area, for most winters have a few days that plummet into the teens. Too sad! That is a beautiful vine. I think it might be worth growing as an annual.
This is so beautiful - and I can understand how you would appreciate it! (Your story of how you first discovered it was funny. It was certainly a wonderful surprise, wasn't it??) :-)
What a beautiful plant, Noelle. When I created my blue and yellow border, I left the native goldenrod (Solidago) growing around the edges of that flower bed and also moved some of them into the flower bed. They are, indeed, trouble-free plants that don't need to be coddled or staked or watered on hot days. I think "natural beauties" is a great category for them. -Jean
I completely agree with you, about not working too hard in the summer heat.
We have Queen's Wreath here. Only, I learned it's name as Coral Vine. I bought one last fall, but it didn't make it through the winter. I guess it wasn't in the ground long enough, before the cold set in. They do seem to 'take over', though.
~~Linda...
Queen's Wreath vine is a lovely plant. I've never heard of it, but then it probably can't grow in Zone 5b. I do my gardening in the early morning, when the air is fresh and cooler and well...I'm fresh, too!
Have a wonderful evening.
I remember being pregnant in Texas with my first baby and just melting. We moved to the mountains to get away from that heat! Still I only garden in the early morning and night. The sun is still intense here in the afternoon. I like this wall of color you showed. And since it is low maint. it is even better feature!
That really is a beautiful vine! The color of the flowers is so pretty. The tough plants that were able to take the heat we had after such a cool wet start to summer are my natural beauties... Bee balm is one right now that doesn't seem to care what the weather is.
Wow, it's so exceptionally lovely!! It's great when you have the balance between invasive and pleasantly vigourous. Great post!!
What a beautiful climber! Wish we had something like it with that (for me new favourite) colour all through summer:-)
Like most Scandinavian people, I too enjoy a more "rustic" garden that sorts itself out on its own more or less... Summer is for leisure and play:-)
Greetings from a Fairytale Summery Sweden! Hillevi
What a great wall of pink. It is a beauty for sure.
She's a beauty, Noelle. Once again, I'm green with envy at your growing zone and it's ability to showcase such stunning flowers. :)
What a beautiful vine, Noelle! Anything that blooms from spring to first frost is a winner in my book as well. I'm all for natural beauties, too. I know it's not as hot here in the Midwest as it is in AZ, but still I can't get motivated to care for fussy plants when the summer heat makes it feel like a sauna outside. I'd have to say my natural beauties are coneflowers and black-eyed Susans--they reseed themselves and generally don't need any help from me whatsoever:)
We call that "coral vine" here in Florida, where it does indeed grow at an alarming rate. It's considered invasive, though not banned (yet). Our "Queen's Wreath" is a beautiful purple-flowering vine. My favorite natural beauties right now are the Florida Cracker Roses and the crapes. No worries. Just beauty.
I love the colours and those little bell flowers. Sadly, its invasive in my region and often times they somehow spring out here & there in some pockets of garden areas.
Have you manage to get the white variety of this type?
Absolutely beautiful flowers Noelle! I absolutely love the pink color and they must be quite a site to see in person. Your pictures are really incredible.
that is a beautiful vine and works so well in your environment, a little to invasive here in hawaii
my tis are my work horses here, when they get to tall, i just snap them down and stick the tops into the ground to make a new plant, no fuss :)
Noelle, The Queen's Wreath vine is stunning! There are no natural beauties quite that dramatic here. I haven't visited lately and just took a little time "catching up" on your news. I hope Kai is soon out of the wheelchair. Take care of that back - mine is "out" right now so I know how it feels. Pam x
How beautiful it is, Noelle! Thank you for introducing me to this lovely vine. I'm afraid it wouldn't be at all "natural" here -- but maybe that's one of the lessons of natural beauty, to find out where you fit and thrive without too much fuss. :)
And a big thank you, Noelle, for your encouragement and for always being there with a kind word for me -- and for so many others, too. Kindness and a joyful heart = my favorite kind of natural beauty. :)
yes Noelle, that really is invasive here so we dont plant it in gardens. There is even a white variety growing in the wild. Our former Metro Manila Commissioner in charge of order and beautification of highways planted it along main hiways, but they did not grow well in summer, maybe intolerant of car pollution. He thought that the invasiveness can be sustained in the Metropolis, now the trellises are being removed as eyesores. But yes, if properly controlled in gardens they are so beautiful. BTW, it is also found growing unabashedly n public cemeteries, which are not given proper attention, except during All Saints' Day!
I rip that vine out by the handful. It has a beautiful flower, but it grows over everything and is impossible to kill. Apparently, it was allowed to grow wild before I bought this house and with my cottage garden, I did not want the vine growing over all my flowers...It is horribly invasive. In a cooler climate, I can see how it would be very beautiful.
Even my morning glory, which I love, is invasive here. I yank it out all over the place, but keep it on my fence as the flowers are such a beautifully radiant purple...almost translucent.
Wow, it looks gorgeous en masse along the fence! We call it Queen's Crown in South Texas, where I grew up, and it is on the invasive side there. Now I can still enjoy looking at it when I visit my parents, before they rip it down every spring.
Hi Noelle...woah..I loove this..i would love to have this in my garden..gorgeous and magical..and such lovely airy blooms of color! Wonderful post!
Kiki~
Here they call it Coral Vine. The bees LOVE it. And I love it because it covers ugly chain link fences like a magic blanket.
Hi Noelle,
That is a really beautiful plant, and aptly named too. Very regal.
Thanks for sharing,
Suzanne
So beautiful! But I don't think it's hardy over here. Although we have +25-+30° celsius right now and it's like living in another climate, we can eat all meals outdoor, lovely!
Greetings from southern summer Sweden, Sophia
Thanks so much for this Queen's Wreath info. I've been looking for some for a while now for my own blog (Glory's Garden) and couldn't find anything usable. I just linked your article!
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