Aristolochia grandiflora

Hello All.

I thought I would share a picture of my A. grandiflora. The two large buds should open tomorrow. They always amaze me. Between the three plants in the pot, I already count nineteen (19) buds!

Erick

Wow, the anticipation would drive me mad!

It does me as well. I must check it twenty times a day!

Erick

Wow Erick that is a great looking plant. Now you will drive the rest of crazt waiting for you to post pictures. :o)

Very pretty. Love those blooms.

Can't wait Erick. What's taking so long? LOL

Jackie

You are all very kind, thank you. I will definitely post pictures of the flowers.

Erick

Fancy. The buds are as fascinating as the flowers. Quite architectural.

Erick,

It is already absolutely define cant wait to see the open buds......

Beck

The first of the two large buds opened today. Wow. The fragrance, however, is quite unpleasant.

Erick

That is really unusual looking and I like it.

thanks for sharing
Beck

That is so cool Erick.

Jackie

Wow.

That's amazing!

Wowzers, Eric! Totally awesome! Is this the plant you had last year? Are you you going to be saving seeds, pretty please?
:) Donna

Love that bloom!!!

Thank you all for the very kind comments. It's fun when others share the joy of a gardening triumph. Attached is another picture showing the second flower that just started opening this morning. Note the developing bud above.

Donna, there are actually three plants in the pot. All are rooted cuttings of the plant I had last year. I haven't yet found a way to get the large plants like these through the winter (cutting them back and reducing the water didn't work, and neither did keeping them moist). However, I can easily get rooted cuttings through the winter by keeping them in terrarium-like conditions, i.e. an covered 20 gallon aquarium in bright light. I just then pot them up into a large pot in the spring and put them in the garden. They take off from there. Unfortunately, I have never seen a seed pod on mine. It's on my list to learn how to pollinate the flowers.

Erick

It's awesome! I can't remember did you start the first plant from seed?
:) Donna

Thank you Donna. Actually, I got the original plant from Logee's a couple years ago. Fortunately, cuttings of it root really well for me, despite how thin the vine is. That has been my saving grace as I've learned about this plant.

Erick

Thanks for all the good tips.

Eric you plant is amazing. I believe mine is an Aristolochia gigantea. I'd rather take cuttings and bring in smaller plants. What did you use to root the cuttings in? I don't have a terrarium but I do have a covered rack similar to this link. Do you think that it would work ok?

http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/accessory/extenders.shtml

How utterly beautiful! Really, it's kind of ... .. ugly?... But I LOVE it! Wish you could overwinter the whole plant. Maybe in a south window?

Thank you Kathy. I don't have any experience with A. gigantea (I just got my first plant this past summer), but I would think that it would be fairly easy to root cuttings and take them through the winter. I plan to do that with mine, as well as cut back the mother plant and try to limp it along indoors until spring. I root my cuttings in a commercial peat-based seed starter. Just make sure to cover them with a plastic back (and allow in fresh air every day) until the are well established. I would think that your covered rack would work just fine to get the plants through until spring. Just give them as much light as you can.

Thank you AuntB. The flower is most certainly, well...ugly (to be kind!), but very striking (it also smells like dead fish). I love the unusualness of the Aristolochia family. You ask a great question about overwintering A. grandiflora. All of my other Aristolochias, e.g. elegans, fimbriata, ringens, trilobata, etc. get through the winter just fine in bright light and average care. They don't grow much, but they don't decline either. Not so for A. grandiflora. I have tried repeatedly to cut them back and keep them in bright light and have lost every one. I have read that they can be induced into a semi-dormant state, but I sure haven't been able to do it. It appears to be a humidity issue. Our winters can be VERY dry. I discovered that if I kept rooted cuttings in a covered 20 gallon acquarium in bright light (and regular misting), they thrived over the winter and even had to be cut back several times. Once they get in the garden in late May, they take off and grow like weeds. They apparently love our summers.

Regards,

Erick

Thanks for the advice Erick. I'm going to take cuttings this weekend and give it a try.
You mentioned in your last post that your grandiflora smells like dead fish. Maybe it's a good thing that I doesn't thrive in the winter. Could you imagine that thing flowering all winter in an enclosed house? My cat might like it - or eat it. LOL

The nasty smellers are usually the ones we really like to get up close, to look at. I have a starfish cactus and a couple amorphs that have lovely weird stinky blooms- they usually only smell for a few days AND are outside by that time.

UGLY?!?!?! I think it's fabulous, grandiflora indeed :-)

Hi Erick-- you have a stunninglly interesting flowering vine! I have never seen such a bloom.

I bought the common Aristolochia 'tomentosa' for my butterflies a few weeks ago, assuming it would winter over easily in the garden. Was I wrong about that? mmmm.....Does anyone know?

And Erick--by the way, do you get caterpillers on your pipevines?

Thanks. t.

tabasco,

Thank you! How very kind of you.

It is my understanding that A. tomentosa is hardy in your area, so it should come back next spring. I would suggest mulching it well this fall.

Although I have a number of Aristolochias in my garden, e.g. grandiflora, trilobata, elegans, ringens, etc., I never get catepillars on them. We are just too far north. I believe the farthest north that Pipevine Swallowtails get is southern Iowa.

Erick

Wow if they are hardy to you Erick they should be to me too. I will most definetly have to get some now.


Beck

Hello Beck.

I should clarify - none of the tropical species that I have listed are hardy here - they all come indoors before the first frost. It is my understanding that A. tomentosa, A. clematitis, A. californica, A. serpentaria and A. macrophylla MIGHT be hardy in my area with heavy mulching. I am testing that for the first time this winter. I would think that all of them would be hardy in your zone.

Erick

WOWWWWWWW! That's an awesome plant! I bow to you!
Sharon

Thank you Sharon. Your Amaryllis' are gorgeous - I love the color!

Erick

Thank you Erick it will be next year before I can get one anyway due to bad time to plant now. I will have to check with you again next years to see if your beautiful babies make it. Fingers and toes are crossed for ya.


And Sharon that is gorgeous thanks for sharing I love pictures.

Beck

Thank you Beck. Do check with me next spring, as I will likely have a few rooted cuttings to share.

Erick

That is way cool!!!!

Thank you Erick and Beck! I have several different colors, but love the red the best!

Wow- most impressive! It's been hard not to order one from Logees, maybe I should go for it anyway- next spring, that is. What a spectacular flowa!