Brookside miniature vine

Hi, I tought maybe someone here can help. I am looking for a brookside miniature vine. The only thing I can find on a google search is a climbing hydrangea. But this brookside vine doesn't flower and it is meant for full sun which the hydrageas are not. I'd appreciate any help.

I think I responded to you a while back when you asked about this same plant...when I search for Brookside Miniature, it appears that it is a cultivar of Schizophragma hydrangeoides. That particular cultivar isn't listed in Plant Files, but the species is listed as being able to grow in full sun. Just because it's related to hydrangeas doesn't mean that the conditions it likes will necessarily be identical--you can have plants that need shade and plants that like sun in the same family (and even in the same genus). Here's the PF entry for the species: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/148/ As far as flowering--all vines will flower given the right conditions. Some of them may need to be quite old before they bloom, or may be fussy about conditions and therefore don't bloom much, or they might not be very floriferous and are grown primarily for their foliage, but given the right conditions they can all bloom.

Thanks, yes you responded to my previous question and the more research I do, the more I am thinking they had this vine mislabled. The vine I seen looks nothing like what I am finding (I have climbing hydrangea growing in my back yard and the leaves are considerably larger than the vine I seen). I guess I am having a case of buyers regret, but I thought $60 for 2, 1 gal. vines was a little steep, and now I am afraid I will never really know what they were. Thanks for your help!

I wouldn't rule out the Schizophragma based on comparing to your climbing hydrangea. The one you have is probably Hydrangea anomala subsp petiolaris, and since it's a different plant it's not at all surprising that the leaves would be different. They happen to both have the common name climbing hydrangea but they're different plants.

Here's a page that has pictures & descriptions of Brookside Miniature showing what the leaves should look like and giving a nice description, take a look and see if you think it matches yours. If not, then I'd post some pics in the ID forum and someone there will probably be able to tell you what you have. http://uniquegardenplants.com/cart/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=29885

Ya know, after reading the description I think this could be it. Because the leaves were silvery, grey, blueish green........if that makes any sense......it was so nice, but again I thought the price was a little steep, but the one the website is $50.00 for 3 gallon size. I don't have much of a green thumb and I know I would cry if I were to kill it. But I need something to replace two clematis that I moved because they kept dying down. So I need something that will withstand full sun all day every day in zone 6 in southern WV. But I thought that the green hue on the brookside plant would look nice with some red knock out roses and some sort of white vining flower, possibly another clematis in different pruning group. Anyway, I am rambling. But thanks for all your help!!

You're welcome! Good luck with your vine! You might want to be a little careful how much sun it gets--I don't know how hot your summers are, but I know as you go farther south things that can take full sun in more northerly climates often tend to like some afternoon shade. Since this plant is generally listed as sun to part shade, as you go farther south part shade is probably going to be needed for it to be happy. But I'm not familiar with your climate--if your summers aren't super hot then all day sun would probably be OK.

It actually hit 96 here yesterday! So our summers are very hot and humid, which is part of the problem I am having, finding things that can withstand the hot full sun everyday but also make it through below zero degree weather in the winter months! And I have heavy, thick clay soil and a dear problem too! I love plants that grow up for some reason. I loved my clematis, but it died every year immediately upon blooming, so I moved it around back, which gets only morning sun. So far the only plants that seem to do well in front are my knock out roses, purple cone flower and black eyed susans, oh yes and a crepe myrtle shrub. So I have had my work cut out for me this year moving things, not to mention how terrible the front of my yard looks. I am so glad I found this website it has been a lot of help for me since I was not born with a green thumb!

idohair, when you had the clematis in full sun were the roots mulched or shaded? From what I've read clematis are notorious for needing cool roots.

edit: The vines themselves are fine in full sun.

This message was edited Jul 24, 2010 9:39 PM

They were in full sun. I had the roots covered with landscape fabric and mulch, also I had a spirea planted in front of them to give some shade to the roots. I don't remember how I knew the roots needed shade, but I knew that. But I get full sun all day every day and I think it was just too much for them. I cut them down and moved them to the back of my house and now only time will tell if they do the samething next year or not. If they do they are out of here.

Another thing I don't know if you know. It sometimes takes a clematis a couple of years or so to get itself established well. I have seen vines die but the roots were fine and they came back out. Are you sure yours died?

Well I say they die, I really don't know what they do and I don't think anyone else does either. If you go to the clematis discussion forum and click on the thread named "Clematis trouble" you can see the pictures of what they do. I believe this is the 3rd summer I have had them and the third time I have had to cut them down. This is my first time moving them, and they are starting to sprout back up, but they always do. Like I said only time will tell if the moved helped or not. And while you are there if you click on the "Shihtzumom Clematis 2010" thread you will see my dream garden. I don't know if my biggest problem is me, my terrible soil, hot humid full sun, or just maybe bad plants....I even have russian sage that looks terrible, and I think that stuff is supposed to grow in just about any condition.....Anyway, maybe one day when I get to Heaven God will have mercy on me and grant me the garden of my dreams!

It could be clematis wilt--it's a very common problem with clematis and it'll sort of look like they died, but they generally don't really die and will sprout up again. Here's some info on it http://gardening.about.com/od/perennials/f/Clematis_Wilt.htm If you google clematis wilt you'll find tons of other references too.

Thanks so much for all your help. I think it is clematis wilt. And after reading that article I think so even more, but my whole plant is effected. It starts at the very bottom and quickly (within a week or two) goes up through the rest of the plant and it happens just when the plant is in full bloom. That is why I say if they do the same thing next year they are being trashed. I live in rural WV and I don't have access to a large variety of plants, so I am sort of stuck with what Lowes sells. But I do make them live up to their one year guarentee....a lot!