Cobaea Scandens-Victory At Last
Many futile attempts have been made here to grow the allegedly vigorous Cobea scandens , a tender vine from Mexico . It's been tried in a large container, and in various in-ground locations each attempt ending in failure. This spring I was tempted again and lingered near the row of flats at Annies and selected a well-gown specimen, resolved that this would be the final effort.
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The placement decision was lengthy , but I ended up planting it at the base of the Bourbon rose, Madame Isaac Pereire, where it would have the benefit of the occasional extra water provided to Madame, and the run off from nearby patio containers. Madame Isaac would be the trellis , with Lady Banks waiting in the wings above should the vine actually grow. Here looking happy and green at the base of it's rosy companion...
...and here it clambers up to the 2nd story and hangs out with Lady Banks.
This is what you see as the bloom forms
The flower opens green and deepens to violet .
And an added bonus, the tendrils are pretty cool too.
Cobaea scandens is not likely to be hardy here -though I have seen references that claim it will handle zone 9. I expect it will be laid low with the first frost --now that I'm an expert maybe next spring I'll buy 2 .
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...and here it clambers up to the 2nd story and hangs out with Lady Banks.
This is what you see as the bloom forms
The flower opens green and deepens to violet .
And an added bonus, the tendrils are pretty cool too.
Cobaea scandens is not likely to be hardy here -though I have seen references that claim it will handle zone 9. I expect it will be laid low with the first frost --now that I'm an expert maybe next spring I'll buy 2 .
Well done! It's a gorgeous climber so well worth the effort. For next year see if you can get hold of the white flowered one, which is nice too :)
ReplyDeleteM&G , one of my failed attempts was the year I bought one of each. Both bombed at the box office. I am confident now !
DeleteThat's neat and dresses up Madame IP, which has such lavish repeat (hah!). I wonder if it is a rampant reseeder? I'm very cautious about vines.
ReplyDeleteHow I love Madame Hoov, there is nothing quite like those fat buts and raspberry color. And the black spot ! Oy ! I tolerate it because I love her, and spend an hour or two each spring stripping off bs foliage. After that she is clean for the summer and pumps out her fall re-bloom. I read some instructions on germinating Cobaea and it seemed complicated. I doubt that will be an issue here, but maybe different for you.
DeleteIt's so pretty! The color changes are wonderful. I'm wary of vines but perhaps I'll try that one.
ReplyDeleteGot it at Annies Kris, and I think I recall Denise grew it a few years ago --she can probably speak to it's behavior in your area.,
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