Black eyed Susan vine question

I see red and coral colors available. Has anyone got experience with these varieties. Are they as strong? Do they cross up with the orange flowered varieties?

The ones I have are yellow and they sure like the cool weather. Have not seen the red and coral colors.

White used to come standard in the pack of seed but now they are considered rare and cost extra. I've not heard about colors beyond white and shades of yellow.

I was about to post the question as to whether they are true annuals or temperate perrenials. I read somewhere they are perrenial. If so, I've got a greenhouse. Please let me know.

I bring them into the house like pelargoniums.
They are perennial in warmer climates than here.
They do not take freezing, but seem to bloom when the lower light of fall comes.

Thanks. I generally overwinter brugmansias, pelargoniums and geraniums at Maypop cottage. The house is kept on freeze protect and the south side is glass so the days are warm and nights cool. The above plants bloom all winter with only occasional water. Maybe the vines will too. Do you cut yours back before bringing them in?

I grow Thunbergia 'Blushing Susie" every year. They are wonderful with no extra necessary care. I put them with blue flowering plants and similar apricot blooming plants. I let them meander through the plants as well as climb a trellis.

Do you plant new seed each year? I looked up your variety and they are lovely. Those colors would be a bad mix for my window boxes though because the house is taupe, the shutters dark green and the boxes are brick red.

I find Thunbergia seed slow to germinate and get going. Months in the making. Like CLScott said, they prefer fall conditions. I'd love to find white seed again. I noticed some three inch volunteers quite a distance from where they were planted last year. Tonight is our first freeze night so they are too little and it's too late. Meanwhile, the window box ones will come in.

Yes, I plant Thunbergia every year. Because they are so pretty, it is worth it to me. They are slow to germinate. Websites recommend anywhere from 70 degrees to 80 degrees for germination. It has been my experience to lean towards the warmer temperature for quicker germination. It takes anywhere from 14 days to a month for mine to germinate. I think it depends on how "consistent" the temperature of the medium.

You can purchase Thunbergia alata 'Bright Eyes' from Swallowtail Seeds.

I think Thunbergia seeds are rather pricey, but they are also a little hard to collect. The seed shoots out of its "pouch". You have to put a small baggie around it to collect it and to keep it from shooting into where ever. That is why, MaypopLlaurel, you had some growing a distance away. I would rather buy seed vs. tying baggies to catch each individual seed. I never have had mine re-seed. I know there's lots of seeds out there. I either don't recognize the little arrow type leaves when they are little, or they aren't germinating for me.

I also grow Nasturtium vine every year. Mine blooms all summer long-a little before the Thunbergia does. Although the directions say full sun for Nasturtiums, I grow mine in quite a bit of shade and they love it--very prolific.

Well that explains why I've tried to save seed from those pods and never found any. Baby plants have an usual shovel-shaped leaf, somewhat close together and thick compared to, let's say, morning glories or moonflowers. The vine itself is more sturdy than typical annual vines. I read once they don't transplant well but can be pruned.

Yes, about the leaves--and I find the petioles unusual: flat instead of round. I think BIS vine would transplant if they aren't too far along--same for Nasturtium.

I've grown nasturtiums and BIS (sometimes together) in two window boxes on the west side of my cottage. The boxes are under deep overhangs and receive limited hours of indirect light. I'm sure they could be better bloomed but considering most folks can't grow nasturtiums beyond late spring/early summer, here in the deep South, mine grow and flower all season.

My nasturtiums get considerable shade. I grow them amongst my tomatoes as companion plants. They are happy, happy, happy--very prolific and bloom all season. I had lots of blooms that bit the dust just last week (November mind you) from the freeze.

Do you cut back BIS vine when you bring it in? The window boxes are now inside. I've bloomed brugmansias, geraniums and impatiens all winter by keeping the cottage thermostat on freeze protect (45 degrees) when not here. Have you bloomed BIS indoors?

No, I haven't brought impatience or BIS vine in for winter. I am always afraid of white flies getting on them and then onto all of my houseplants. No Thank You!! :)

I have a downstairs garage basement with a window in the door, with lights built in over head, but that's definitely not enough light. It stays quite cool down there. I bring in lots of plants over the winter-mostly Lantanas, Pelargoniums (gernaiums), Brugmansias, Fuschias, (they actually start blooming again after the shock of bringing them into low light levels.), Begonias, Christmas & Thanksgiving Cactus, and Angelonias. The Angelonias haven't made it--not enough light.

I try to bring in plants that are expensive to replace each year. The impatience I can purchase in 6 packs, so I just let them go until next year. I did bring in one lovely pink impatience in a hanging basket this year just because it was so pretty. As cool as the garage basement is, the bugs should stay at bay.

I winter sow each year and start others from seed. However, seeding is usually for perennials or annuals that I can't get easily locally such as tall Snapdragons, BIS vine, Heliotrope, Nasturtiums and biennial, Digitalis.. I think I am going to try Salpiglossis sinuata this year. They look spectacular to me.

I'm an avid vegetable gardener in one location with a dedicated orchid greenhouse in the other. No plants are with the orchids because of potential pest issues. I have few house plants and only for decorative reasons; fish tail palm, bamboo palms and some others. Because I'm native to Miami, and those tropicals are what most house plants are, I've had a lifetime supply of those. I've grown orchids on and off since I was a kid. Generally not the corsage type, but rather those that are miniature and considered botanical curiosities.

There was a time that annual and perennial gardening became a strong interest but you can't do it all. Well at least not me. My vegetable garden is a two to three season project, from March through December, and orchids aren't called 'chids for nothing. When I'm not there to hands on tend them everything is automated.

I think you have made some good choices.
First, realizing you can't do it all. That's a big one.
Second, it's very rewarding and comforting to grow what you eat and know where it came from.
And Third, what's more beautiful (and more challenging) than growing orchids.

You totally got it, Birder. :)

CLScott, do yours bloom in winter? Do you cut them? I'm thinking I need a trellis rather than draping them around the window boxes. They are currently continuing to bloom.

Yes they bloom in winter---or at least in fall.
Yes I cut them back as they get all tangled if I don't.

Mine just bit the dust err freezer this past week. I put them on a trellis. and let them go. They climb the trellis and meander. So pretty.

All of my pictures got erased off of my computer. I will have to down load them again from my old laptop. Thankfully, I have kept it even though it doesn't work very well. If I can, I will show you some pictures.

I have planted with a bamboo teepee in containers with mounding nasturtiums. I am pretty obsessive when it comes to seed saving so I did manage to collect seeds from both plants.
Have Blushing Susie but have yet to try growing them...just the basic yellow/orange mix.

dmac, you'll love the Blushing Susie. It blends with lots of flower colors.

Thanks :-) Love that color palette, kinda like the antique shades in Pansies I am a seed hoarder so my pkg may have some age on it but still sealed & kept cool & dry out of the sun/direct light.

Usually have good luck even with the older seed.