Newbie with 2 vine questions !

I have had a brown thumb my whole life,but this forum has me convinced I CAN OVERCOME !

My 1st question: we were out in the boat Sunday, and I got several branches off of two honeysuckles bushes that are just lovely, one white, one pink. The pink is especially fragrant and just covered up in blossoms. I have them in water right now. Can I root them in the water? If not, any other way?

2. I live in AL, and want a climbing vine to grow up my mailbox. Zero shade. Very hot and humid, and the heat comes off of the pavement making it hotter. something pretty with blooms, preferably something that would be a perennial. Any suggestions?

I am LOVING this forum, everyone has been so helpful !

#1:

This is from Ebay:

Rooting honeysuckle is easy - any kind of Honeysuckle!

The best time is when new growth starts to appear in the spring, although if there is green growth, you can do it indoors most anytime of the year.

Cut a length of green "soft wood" growth from the end of one (or several) of the vines, making sure to get several sets of leaves.

Strip the leaves from the end of the cutting nearest the cut end. You should have one or two leaf nodes bare and one or two sets of leaves left on the vine.

At this point you have a couple of options:

One is to dip the plant in rooting hormone and place in damp potting or rooting soil.

The other is to place the cutting in a vase of water and allow the roots to develop that way.

If you go with the water method, be sure to change the water regularly to prevent rot.

You will see the roots forming, and when you have several good roots (an inch or so long) you can plant your new plant!

I just take the cuttings and stick them in moist, well-draining potting soil or sand and place them in a bag in bright light, but not sunlight.

#2: It sounds as if you'd be better off to go to Hobby Lobby and buy a realistic silk vine - I don't know of any vine that will survive long in the conditions you describe.

mimosette,

Carolina Jessamine is a native evergreen vine in Alabama. It blooms in early spring with bright yellow trumpet shaped flowers that have a light vanilla odor. I have several of them covering some old ornamental iron on my front porch.

After a couple of years you will probably have to trim it some.

They can be found at Lowes and HD.

Another Alabama native is coral honeysuckle (not be confused with the invasive Japanese honeysuckle). The coral honeysuckle has peachy to orange colored flowers. They are not as easy to find in nurseries as the jessamines are.

I've had excellent results with clematis, large flowered types, on my mailbox.

My mailbox is in full, 'broiling' sun all day, no trees anywhere near it. Our temps are nearly identical to those in coastal AL. Temps here run in the high 90s to 100s in July & Aug with near 100% humidity. Heat indexed temps run up to around 116F.

The clematis on my mailbox (and dozens of others around my yard) grows like a weed. I never do anything to it. It's advisable to prune in spring but I don't even do that - and haven't even fertilized them in ages, yet it/they grow and bloom very nicely.

For best show plant 2 clematis with contrasting colors or plant something else along with the clematis. Currently I have a small, white, landscape rose (Crystal Fairy) growing around the mailbox along with a deep, royal, red-purple clematis (Niobe). The white and deep red are lovely together. The small white rose has grown into a large shrub (despite severe annual pruning) which covers the post and blooms repeatedly throughout summer. The red clematis blooms heavily in spring and again in late summer.

Please remember the mailman and keep the vines trimmed back from the door to help keep the bees back a bit.