Mexican Flame vine

Been getting one flower at a time finally a bunch,makes a better picture don't you think!!!

Yes, it's beautiful in bloom - mine is covered this morning - just stunning!

Mine is setting more flower buds,very pretty orange flowers,I don't understand why people don't like the color orange in flowers?

Don, it will eventually get to the point where it is covered in flowers, and you won't even be able to see the leaves. I love orange flowers;-)

Thanks,yes it is getting more buds on it.

Beautiful vine, thanks for sharing.
Kaleem

I think they are lovely, where do you get them, and are they seeds or cuttings.




Doris

Don, I just cut my big one way, way back, but this is my small one. I think it flowers on new growth.

Wowser!!!
Will be cutting mine way back for sure,very pretty.
Karoke,here's a link,might have them
http://toptropicals.com/cgi-bin/garden_catalog/cat.cgi?uid=Senecio_confusus

They do look better in a bunch:-) This is the one I just cut way back.

This is a picture of a bunch when they first open. See how they look orange?

This is a picture of the same bunch eight days later. Now the flowers are red!

Makes a pretty bouquet too!!!
I find they hard to take a picture of,did you?
Especially if the sun was shining.

Doris, several mail order nurseries carry them. Logee's has it: http://www.logees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=R1956-2 and Almost Eden has it: http://almostedenplants.com/mall/vine_directory.asp Almost Eden is calling theirs "Mexican Love Vine." The scientific name is Senecio confusus. It is almost always propagated by cuttings and not seeds.

Yes, definitely, hard to get a good picture.

Mine just up and croaked two months ago. Are they short-lived? Mine was about four years old. I never did trim it. Here's a pic of it in December:

-Ron-

Oh, my, gosh, Ron. Yours was so beautiful. That picture is just amazing. I remember your vine sprawling with and through your Aloes from when you posted pictures of it before. What a shame. Do you think it became too dry? Maybe something happened to the roots like a critter ate them? We haven't had much rain in a while. Did you water the vine regularly? I'm not sure how drought tolerant it is, but you would know since you've grown it for the past four years. That's strange.

It's a complete mystery to me. It was a very drought tolerant plant and the roots were protected by that aloe. I'm clueless. It grew very fast and vigorously with no problems whatsoever. Every once in awhile I would hose off the seed heads. It would bloom in flushes many times a year.

I've been having a bout with an excess of rabbits and ground squirrels in the yard. I've also lost things in the past to gophers especially. I just didn't notice any indication this time.

I'm going to just try it again.

-Ron-

Ron, something must have gotten to those roots. That's the only explanation that I can think of. I'm glad you'll be trying again. That was such a pretty combination. It looks so natural together with the Aloes.

Yes I looked so happy ther,doesn't it reseed it self?

I just planted my Mexican flame vines about a month ago. They are growing and doing just great. Could someone tell me if I will have any blooms this year or will I have to wait until next spring.

Hi Don, no, it hardly ever does. I've had two little seedlings come up out of the thousands of seeds that end up on the ground. I didn't think seedlings would ever come up, but I found a couple the other day -- right as I was telling a neighbor that it never reseeds itself. The best way to propagate this vine is from cuttings.

Mimidi, you should have blooms this summer. I'm not sure though that it is hardy in your zone. You may have to protect it come wintertime.

Thanks for the encouragement about the blooms. There will probably be not cold weather until after Thanksgiving here. I have planted the vines close to my house so they will be protected. I guess I should mulch them real good before any really cold weather.

Mimidi, this link shows hardy to 20 degrees: http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1329/index.html but I'm not sure that is correct. I think it is only hardy to Zone 10. Perhaps, if it is killed to the ground by frost, it will return from the roots in the spring. I just don't know about this. Perhaps someone in your zone grows this vine and will know.

Last Fall, I cut mine off and just left the runners laying on the ground in the flower bed and took the pot inside the greenhouse and would you believe in zone 7, I have at least a dozen coming up in the bed I cut them off in. We had a mild winter but got down in the low teens several nights. I potted them up because the oak tree roots have taken over the flower bed.