Vigna caracalla questions

Wahhh!!!!! Fall is sneaking up on me. My Vignas have not bloomed, even though they germinated nicely, and I set them out pretty early, and planted them in pure compost. Two questions:

1) Should I try to dig up the plants and overwinter them in the GH? (If so should I cut back the foliage when I dig them up?)

2) Should I try to take cuttings and root them instead of digging up the plants?

Any/all advice is VERY welcome - tonight is supposed to get down in the upper 30s, so I figure in another week or so, we'll get the first REAL freeze.
TIA :o)

Terry, they root pretty easily so you could start some just-in-case backup plants, the roots form into a tuber-rhizome (??) soyou can dig and store them like any other rhizome, you could pot the whole thing up and cut it, I heard that until you cut them back, or at least pinch the tips to encourage side branching, they won't form buds. I started mine as a tuber in April and cut it back by about half in July, and it's just now starting to open a few of it's very first blooms...I have it in a big ceramic pot, but it's growing up an in-the-ground trellis next to the pot, so I've been desperately hoping that it would bloom before the first frost because I'm going to have to cut it way back to get it untwined from the trellis to bring it in for the winter..I hate to have to cut off those coveted buds and blooms!!!

This is one of the few times I am glad I live in Texas....we are still hot, hot, hot!...lol...

I recieved one in a trade and it just started blooming-i did nothing to it-but it may have been cut back before it was mailed. Do you all have this one or the corkscrew one? I would REALLY like a cutting of the corkscrew type.....

Here's another shot after I brought it in-the wind was blosing the petals off too early!

Jenks, I don't know - without any blooms, you can't tell 'em apart :o)

LOL! So true!!!!

Here's a little bouquet I picked yesterday from my vigna caracalla. the scent is wonderful!!! I'm going to cut my plant back so I can bring it in for the winter, and I'll be rooting as many cuttings as I can. I have several people on a list for cuttings, but if I have extras, I'll let you know!

wow! that is beautiful!

Lovely Carena,
Tell me, has yours been that dark of a purple the whole season? The beginning of the blooming season (August here) the flowers were all coming out more of a pinkish purple, (see picture) but now that it is winding down, they are the deep lavender like yours. Would be interested in know if yours did the same. I also have the solid purple like yours, Jenks. The only way I can tell them apart, is the depth of green in the leaves. My cream/purple has light lime color leaves and the solid purple has dark sage green leaves. Of course, that could just be mine.
Terry, I would take cuttings AND dig it up and move. This is one that you don't ever want to lose, and I have found that the ants that pollinate never quite get it done. So you cannot count on seeds. Nobody else I know that grows these has EVER gotten seeds either, so I finally decided to put down granules when I realized that the ants were actually gnawing off the buds at the base.

And here is a picture of the solid purple.

OH, pudgy! I love that cream color! Is there anything I can trade you for a cutting or two? :D Check out my trade list and let me know! www.davesgarden.com/tl/Jenks

mine started showing dark purple patches when they were still buds, they were never pink. and I never saw ants on them but wasps and yellow jackets LOVED them, and would calmly crawl around on the buds for hours, almost like they were sedated. the scent reminds me of grape candy and jasmine. I love this vine. Of all my flowers, this is the first one that my DD took one look and said "ooh, I want one!"

Jenks,
right now it is in full bloom, not a naked vine to clip! LOL
Sorry.
Carena,
that is interesting because we have alot of wasps and yellow jackets but they prefer the salvia that is about 2 feet away! Mind you, I am not complaining, I spend too much time with my nose stuck in the blossoms to need worry about a wasp flying up it! And mine don't have a grape smell, more of a strong gardenia smell. I wonder if this is because of our environments or because there are slightly different varieties? We may need to make a trade when the blooming is done & test it for ourselves. Yes Jenks, you too! LOLOLOL

maybe different soil, fertilizer, who knows?????

Carena,
You rule! ;)