Tropical vine suggestions...

Seedpicker...

Glad you like Almost Eden and zone9. I'm a little leary on Top Tropicals though. They have the most incredible website and I decided to go out there one Saturday afternoon all excited and prepared to buy (about 30 miles from here). It was pathetic. Everything was covered in rust from a bad irrigation system (owner said it was peat). Plants were so unhealthy and it just looked like nobody cared! I love the challenge of bringing a plant back from the dead, but when you're paying top dollar I want a gorgeous healthy specimen, otherwise I'll go to Lowe's discount rack! I wasn't expecting this pretty and well groomed nursery, but this place was an absolute MESS! Okay enough...you get the drift!

As far as pruning goes, I'm like you! However, I call my Dear Man the "Pruning King"...haha. He's not allowed inside my container garden though as I get a little peed off as he's a severe pruner! I'm like...why are you cutting off all my blooms??? I'm not going to admit it to him though, but he really does know what he's doing as things just grow better after he's done his pruning thing! He's an old Farm-boy by the way!

Kat

Kat: I noticed the common theme among a lot of south florida growers. It seems to start out nice in the spring and then in late summer it get ratty looking because the owners all lay off much of their staff. I am sure there are some that don't do this but I have seen to many that are. Its a shame but in the summer the sales have fallen off to almost nothing and all they want to do is keep everyone alive and weeded. Just what I have observed.

Kat-
I've never ordered from Toptropicals. I have just always liked their informative website, when it comes to wanting to educate yourself about an unfamiliar vine(or other). They oftentimes dedicate an entire page of pictures and cultural information to each plant.

Sorry to hear a personal visit left you aghast...guess that is the way it is with so many mailorder...you never really know much more that what you think of their website...until you order, or pay a visit.

Zone9tropicals is a member here, and very good friends with several people here on Daves. Nice guy & great plants.

My hubby is a whacker, too!, lol...farmboy from Michigan, lol...but he whacked one of my green jades to only a few feet tall(that is when I stepped out and stopped him), and I'm afraid he killed it ...thus the "third" green jade recent purchase...:0( to replace the one I think he killed...

Not ALL things like a harsh pruning like that, lol... :0) My thunbergias can take it...jades definitely can't.

I've been to Zone 9 Tropicals in Houston and have met Wayne (owner). He's great buds with DG'er RJ who hangs out on the Tropicals forum. Would recommend his plants for sure.

Hey Kat

What did you end up planting on your arbor???

Kat, I live a bit closer to you in Sarasota. I believe that you'd be happiest with the Queen's Wreath. Comes in white or blue. Flowers off and on through the year.
Regular Wisteria will have flowers for you for maybe 3 days until they all fall off. It's not worth it. Evergreen wisteria can get chewed by the Sri Lanka leaf weevil.
Of course, if it were my trellis, I'd plant something fragrant, like true Jasmine. Stephanotis if in part shade!

Seedpicker: What's the story on the thunbergia coccinea? It's gorgeous. I have a large thunbergia mysorensis - never had any blooms on it though. I'm getting ready to give to a friend of mine who was looking for a vine for her arbor/pergola/lattice work. Is the T. coccinea easy to grow? Does it die back in the winter in Zone 8b? (New Orleans). I like it better than the T. Mysorensis.

The only disappointment I had with Top Tropicals was when I ordered a Jasminum Grand Duke Supreme and got a 7" plant for someting like $35. Wasn't too happy about that. However the 3 Maid of Orleans jasmine I got from them were just fine. Actually all of them are doing well now, but just were smaller than I anticipated when ordering.

kaye c

Patty...I still haven't done anything as far as vines go. I just assembled the shelves the other day and it's changed the entire look and I think I have to move them. I think I liked the openess before. The Queens wreath is still my #1 choice.

Kalpavriksha: Thank you for the advise on the Queens Wreath...

I never even thought about Stephanotis...I have some great vines growing in the sunniest spot of my house and they do pretty well. Probably in a little shade, they would do even better!

Thank-you again!
Kat

Kat I tried to look up queen's wreath in plant files but didn't find it; do you know another name for it? I've heard of this but don't have a clue what it looks like. I bought a Xanadu philo yesterday. I'm thinking about stopping by and picking up a Snowbush; I loved the ones you posted in your pots but wanted to look them up in plant files to get more info on care.

The openness really makes your hanging pots stand out. I think I agree with you about moving the shelves if you have another spot for them. I think you lose the dramatic effect of the arbor with the shelves by it especially when you plant a vine on it.

There's at least two different Queen's Wreath that I'm familiar with - one with cordate leaves and sprays of bright pink flowers. It's also pretty root hardy should you ever get a real cold snap.

The other one (that I grew in Phoenix) is Petrea volublis (that might be a mangled spelling), aka Sandpaper Vine. You'd never guess it to look at it, but the leaves have the weirdest texture, much like fine sandpaper. If the weather gets cold their leaves darken - almost black in some cases. But when this plant blooms, it's amazing - what looks like the flowers, the lilac racemes actually are bracts and have a dark purple flower inside of them. You should look on google images for a few of the tropical pics - they are tree eaters in the right conditions (stayed about 6-8' for me in Phx) and will bloom profusely. I don't remember any scent, but it was gorgeous, nonetheless....

kayec-
it dies back to the ground for me Texas 8a. And, returns each year, bigger, and bigger.

It wants to bloom around the same time of Fall as the early frosts start coming, so some years it gets to bloom, and other years, the buds freeze, but for you that might not happen, since you are a little warmer.

On a warm day they bloom orange, but in cooler weather, they are more red.

Thanks for the info. Love your picture; that is one beautiful vine.

I miss it, *sniffle* ... but I don't miss Phoenix!

So, Kat - any decisions? Or did you already say and I missed it?

Kat
I suggest Pandora vine. I got one from Jeremy and it is so pretty and it is not dense. nice lacy vines. The bleeding heart is very aggressive in fla an you will never get rid of it once you have it. I tried a blue sky vine on mine and it grew so fast and it only blooms certain times of the yr and it grows too fast and dense. Ditto to the passon flower vine. I also planted a shell vine on mine nd its nice too but grows more dense then the pandora vine and they have different color in the pandora vine and walmart had them a month ago for 4. a pot. Mine is pink with a white striped throat. Very Pretty flowers. Got it in may and it has nearly one side of my arbor. Its only half the size of yours. If you want some of the bleeding heart vine for postage. I will send it. Anyone else want some. mine is red flowrs and sometimes I get one with white flower. The red one is more aggressive. Fran

wisteria would look amazing just be sure to get one that already has blooms on it since they take forever to bloom so a mature plant it will cover in no time since a mature plant can grow thirty feet spreading on top it will look amazing

Kat, what did you decide on?

yes inquiring minds want to know
what is the final decision
on the climber for that beautifull structure

mona

Well, I bought some vines a few months ago and transplanted them into larger pots, but not in the ground yet. I bought 4 Bridal Wreath and 1 Spanish shawl. I've also got a Hyacinth Bean growing. It's been exceptionally chilly here this winter, so they're not looking that great. Hopefully with some warmth, they'll start doing their thing! For now I've just got a bunch of hanging pots full of trailing verbena. The wind is just so tough on them though!

Thank-you all for your great suggestions...

seedpicker.............thanks `-: another one for my want list ! Hardenbergia violacea