corkscrew vine - vigna caracalla today

such a wonderful fragrance floating thru the air today

They are so nice I have tried them for 2 years and can't get them to bloom. What's your trick? You are a zone colder than me.

hehehehe, another addict amongst us. LOL Its gorgeous Laurrie. Now when I sit next to mine eating breakfast I no longer dwell on getting the smell to you. I am finally content. :~)

I've looked for this everywhere. If anyone knows of any place that has seeds 'in stock', please let me know.
Thanks,
Alice

well my trick came from Donna (pudgymudpies) she told me to put in FULL HOT SUN all day long! I did and it started to shoot up so much faster :)

Yes Donna you can be content now finally! after 3 years I finally can sit and sniff too LOLOL

And I AM too! ;~)

So happy for you Laurrie-
It really is beautiful!
-T

Oh wow!!!!! It's gorgeous, beautiful, awesome....shall I go on! But you're such a tease, again....lol!!
:) Donna

LOL tease? not me, just soo excited to get to see blooms and sniff them!!!!

Do they smell, purrrty??? Well I wouldn't know....lol!
:) Donna

Alicewho, I purchased my seeds from Parks Seeds last winter. this is the first time I have tried this plant. I was greatly surprised to find that I have buds the first time out should be in full bloom in about a week or so can't wait to see it and smell it. I planted it under my bedroom window hopefully it will drift into the room at night.

OhioBreezy, the pic is just wonderful, I am so glad I decided to try it and it turns out as beautiful as yours. Thanks for the pic.

JoAnn

JoAnn if you got them to bloom the first year from seeds.....that's totally awesome!! I'm going to have to get some seeds to!
:) Donna

JoAnn, I am glad you are trying it too, and when they open, yes I think you will be so glad you put it near your bedroom window, my room is upstairs, plant is in pot, it could reach my window, but I fear I would never get it back down LOL So for now in a pot until I figure out a better way to plant it next year.

I bet yours is just as - or more beautiful than mine!!

JoAnn,
I already tried parks, they're out of stock.
Thanks,
Alice

I have always gotten blooms the first year from seed, but I do start them indoors in the winter. So that could be why. The ones I started this year are in two spots, one in full sun which has been blooming a couple of weeks, and then this one which is under our shadecloth canopy which only gets filtered sun. It just opened yesterday and you can see all the buds not yet opened on top. I planted centrosema in with it, thats the spear shaped leaves, but no flowers on it yet.
The other 4 that I grew at the same time but have kept in small quart sized containers for Roundup are really small but still setting buds. So regardless of their size, they do want to naturally bloom the first year.

Wow! I to went to Park Seeds but they were out...shucks!
:) Donna

That's gorgeous.

I ordered my seeds in January or february, I can't really remember, you know how it is the winter is so boring and then the seed catalogs come rolling in and oh how much fun to order all those seeds. I start them in my small little greenhouse the end of February or early march. Sometimes I get really ahead of myself because I am so anxious to see something growing. LOL

JoAnn

I guess I'll have to wait patiently....not...for Park Seeds to email me back when they have more in stock.
:) Donna

FYI..Ya can order seeds from Seed Savers..They are in stock..
www.seedsavers.org

Thank you! I'm off to check it out.
:) Donna

Thanks for the tip on where to find seeds for the corkscrew vine. I love it and listening to ya'll talk about makes me want "instant gratification" (which is not a good trait for a gardener. LOL). So-o-o does anyone know where I can puchase a plant rather than seeds?? I'm in the FL panhandle and we still have quite a bit of summer left so I thought a plant can be getting established. Any help is appreciated.

I believe Park Seeds does have plants for sale.
:) Donna

Thanks, Donna. The web site says they're sold out. Any other ideas?

Logees has them:
http://www.logees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=R1604-2

Logee's Greenhouse:
http://www.logees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=R1604-2

Great minds think alike! LOL!!

LOL :~)

Thanks! I rushed right out to the hyperlink and purchased 2! Can't wait!

Yahoo!!
:) Donna

Mine is still blooming it's heart out here!!! Starting to set me some seed pods too, I was so pleasantly surprised to find them!

So your paintbrush pollination method worked! Congrats to you! Too bad the plants won't survive your winters. With all the brugs you have this year are you going to have any space to overwinter the Corkscrews? Now that you have smelled them you KNOW you have to have them every year! LOL

Donna, well it sure looks like the painbrush method worked! Thanks.

I am going to overwinter a couple of them, but the extras I will start putting on ebay. I just don't have enough room with all the brugs I need to bring in, I still think I am going to need a greenhouse, maybe I should have also planted these corkscrew vines in hanging baskets then the basement could be full of corkscrews hanging around lol

One thing is certain and you are correct, I will definitely have these every year for the scent alone!

Here are the seedpods today, anyone know how long from start to finish on pods? Taylor? Donna? Do they turn a nice shade of brown and become "crunchy" like most bean pods when I harvest?

I grew these from seed for the first time this year and I love the blooms. Dave indicated in the PlantFiles that he took cuttings to root right before the first frost. And I have also read that their tuber-like roots can be lifted and stored bare root in sphagnum moss over the winter.

Yes, I was reading up on that too, I have like 8 plants so far from seed and ones I ordered from Park (plants), will be saving some of the plants to bring the whole pot inside for the winter. I wasn't going to dig the tuber out, but try the whole pot method first.

Laurrie, I take mine inside in the pot.

Thanks Ada, that was my plan too, along with all these gorgeous brugs :)

I have a couple in pots and several that I planted in the ground (wanted to see how they did in pots versus in ground). The two in pots are promised to folks for the GARU and I will be lifting the tubers for the ones grown in the ground (for myself!). Now, if mine will just make seedpods before frost - - I'll have backup seeds for next year.

Good luck! I know lots of folks didn't get any seeds to develop this year, I tried my luck with pollination to try and assure that I would get some, did you see that thread? it's under the question and answer Corkscrew Vine thread, check it out, you could do the same thing and get some seedpods!