Well, I was beginning to think I would not get a bloom this year. I was out watering a few minutes ago & SURPRISE! A bud just starting to open. I could not get a very good pic of it head on, too high up. But one I took of the side came out fair so here it is. I will have to check it tomorrow & if it is opened all the way, I will get out my step for a better pic.
Wow!!!! I can't wait to see it open, that one is on my wanted list!!! Which is of course a lot bigger than my garden space!!!haha
Good job Donna. Can't wait to see it open....!
all right too cool, are those from my seeds tee hee, I never did plant them this year, congrats, it's gorgeous, post more when you can get to them!~!!!
L
Thanks everyone!
Well, I went out and looked but still not opened all the way. It must close at night, cuz it was open more yesterday. I am just so thrilled, and YEP, these were from your seeds Laurrie. :~)
I am gonna check again when the sun hits it this afternoon & see if that is the trigger.
Donna
TaDaaaaaa!
Gorgeous!☺
-seedpicker_TX
Thanks! It is so cute, but much smaller then I thought. Maybe because its a first? Do you have this one & if so, are yours bigger then this? I would say from point to point is the length of my thumb. How are you today?
Donna
Hey Donna,
We must like the same things for growing, cause everytime you talk about a vine, I have it too. lol Remember the stictocardia of mine that died, that I was trying to share with you. :-(
I bought this Bow Tie vine last year as a 4 inch pot. I have it growing up an arched Trellis and was hoping it would cover it nicely. It has only grown about 2 feet so far and have had about 5 flowers on it this year, but only one flower at a time. My flowers were small also, thought they would be larger. I sure hope the saying "3rd year leaps" spurs this plant into more production. I do like it though.
Donna
Hey Donna,
I know! we do have such similar taste. I never did get the stictocardia. :~( Oh well, gives me something to shoot for. It sounds like yours IS growing really slow! I just started mine from seed this year & it is already to the top of my vine fence, 6+feet, but not really filling out, I thought because it was competing with Thunbergias & clematis. Now I guess I should be glad I got THAT much growth! I just have to try to get mine overwintered.
Donna
Donna,
What are you feeding that guy? I don't know what my plant is doing just sitting there. lol
Donna
Shhhh, I have not really fed it ANYTHING! I have been really lazy with my fertilizing this year. LOL
Well I think that one got crossed off my list for next year. You two can have all those really small blooms, I like things that are bigger here in my shorter growing season.
I have this thing blooming at the moment that I have babied all summer and when it finally produced a flower, you could all most see it!!!! Needless to say it isn't going to last long!!!
Alice, what is your plant with the ALMOST see it flowers? lol
Donna
Very nice:-) I've been wanting to try one of them, but I have hardly no space left.
Nothing wrong with teeny flowers aknapp, I have a pond something or other that has flowers so tiny you have to use a macro lens to get a picture of them that you can even see lol. But I do understand that with a short season you want something that will be impressive for you efforts.
That is a real beauty! Congrats Donna!
I have it labeled pink fuzzy bean vine. But it isn't fuzzy!!!
Its been growing all season and finally started getting these teeny tiny little flowers. When I went to take the photo I realized the goofy thing also had a seed pod on it.
I will be glad to box the whole plant and send it to you socal!!!!
This message was edited Sep 25, 2004 4:08 PM
Today it was open before the sun even got to it, so apparently it is not closing at night. I am curious how many days this bloom will last. This is what, the third day? And it looks as good as yesterday, even a bit better if possible.
I don't know that I would like this any more if the flowers were big like I expected, it really is not a "pretty" flower, more of an oddity that is just interesting to watch.
Donna
Here is the photo it would let me add it after I edited the message above with the correct plant name.
aknapp, the pic is kinda fuzzy, but it looks to me like it might be a snail vine from the leaves and the pod. The flower looking thing appears to be in the bud stage still. They start to show color before they open. Keep an eye on it and see what happens before you yank it. If it is snail vine, the flower will be purple, around an inch or so
This message was edited Sep 25, 2004 6:03 PM
I should be so lucky!!! It has had several blooms on it and I think that is as good as it gets!!! As long as I found those seed pods on it, I will keep it and see if I can't get the seeds from it in case someone else wants it.
I will try to get a better photo tomorrow the other two I took have that same fuzzy look too.
Sorry for stealing your thread donna!!!!
Hey Alice,
I think it really MIGHT be fuzzybean vine. I am growing this too, and your buds look like mine. (forgive quality, they are so small & my camera does [deleted] close ups)
This message was edited Sep 25, 2004 5:40 PM
Well duh, I should have just shown you the seeds since they are distinctive, greyish & fuzzy with a white line down the side:
And here is a good pic of the bow tie I got today, it is really spread open far & you can see the whiteish dot on the center "ball" with the red fleshy rim below:
I think you're right donna. I have'nt seen seeds yet but I will keep an eye on that seed pod, cause I am guessing thats what they are going to look like.
The bow tie vine is pretty cute, even if its little, I just like bigger stuff better!!!haha
Hi Donna, I have two of these vines. I grew both of them from seed a year and a half ago. The are both huge vines, and the flowers are huge too -- maybe five inches across. Sometimes, I get flowers which are small but not very often. Don't give up because your flowers and your vine will get bigger!
This shot was taken in May, but the vine is much bigger now:
I don't suppose anyone has any seeds of these they'd be willing to trade or SASE for?
Clare, do you know where I can find the seed. Is it in my flower or does it make seed pods like other vines?
Donna
Clare,
thanks for the info, and thanks for the pics too! So there are definitely male & female flowers. I was wondering about that. Does your vine die back in the winter or are yours too mild there to effect it?
Hi both Donnas!
Occasionally a seedpod will follow a flower which gets pollinated. It is not the round thing at the center of the flower. That eventually falls off. The seedpod looks like a three-sided roundish pod and is green for a very long time before it is ready to harvest. I think it turns brown when it is ready and explodes one day to distribute the seeds.
Shazbot3, I have only two pods on my vine this year, and I've promised them to a friend and fellow trader. Sorry!
Donna, I think you are right about the male and female flowers. I also noticed that the flowers on one vine in the shade are larger than on my other vine which is in the sun. Now I'm not sure at all about why some are small and some are larger. I'll have to pay better attention to this. We don't get frost in the winter so the vine is not affected really by winter other than it doesn't flower in the winter.
By the way, for anyone who is interested in this vine and who wants to purchase one online, you can find it at Logee's: http://www.logees.com/store/ and Kartuz: http://www.kartuz.com/floweringvines.html
Thanks for the info Clare, I doubt I will get anymore blooms this year, but it will be good info for next year. Oh, and what month did yours start blooming?
As ususal I will be eating my words shortly!!!!!
Donna, Your vine should continue to bloom as long as it stays warm. I got my first flower this year around mid May, when it flowered for the first time. I think I planted the seeds around January 2003.
I tried to get a picture of the seedpod, but it is high up on the vine and in a dark place because of the overgrown bougainvilla around it. The vine is actually climbing the bougainvillea. Anyway, I used a flash and then Autofix with PictureIt photo program, but the pod is still not very clear. I'll post another one as soon as I trim the bougainvillea back.
Well even a bit blurry is enough to give us an idea of what to watch for. I really appreciate your info Clare. I guess I should fell lucky that I even GOT a bloom this year, huh? I planted mine about Feb 2004. When I get home today I am gonna go look at my bloom to see if it is still there. I am pretty amazed that it has stayed open and so fresh looking for so long!
Donna, LOL, yes, I think you are pretty lucky to get a flower this early. I think most perennial vines grown from seed usually put on growth for the first year and flower in the second. My vine is starting to grow slightly aggressively and starting to take over things, but I really don't mind much because it is so pretty and looks good entangled with other vines. It is currently intermingling with a lavender trumpet vine, a Lavender Lady Passiflora, and the bougainvillea that I mentioned before. I'll try to get a better shot of the pod when the sun is shining right on it -- one of these mornings when I am home. You are right that the flowers do last a long time, and they last even longer when blooming in the shade.
Aknapp, you were right that the seedpod does come from the middle ball thing (ovaries?) when it is pollinated. Then it swells and changes color. It only falls off if it is not pollinated.
Here is another shot of the pod. Sorry, again that the picture is somewhat blurry. The pod is far up, and I am zooming as close as I can, and then I crop the photo because it is too large to post, and it ends up somewhat blurry.
Here is the same flower today. It has been a bit bigger everyday, and now today I see the "ball" splitting and what appears to be pollen stamens poking out. I cannot believe this thing is still going! This is it's 7th day & just starting a new transfomation. What stamina! LOL
Wow! Great shot!
Looks like purple satin...
What a gorgeous flowering vine you have, there!
-seedpicker_TX
