----- Original Message -----
From:
m*@ocsnet.net
Dear Carol,
I sympathize with you about having your vine cut
down. I had a young man helping me do some weeding last week - I told
him, "don't pull out the white or pink flowered plants - there are only
two weeds there - this one and that" - I went in the house for a brief time
and came back out and he had pulled out my Salvia argentea and my pink
Phlomis tuberosa and crumpled them up and put them in the weed pile in
the wheelbarrow. This was their third year in the ground and they were
both flowering and just huge and looking so good. I was just sick
when I came out and saw what he did. My DH said I gave the young man too
much information - that I know plants and he doesn't - so now I am watching
over him like a hawk.
Linda
This is a problem I have faced a few
times in recent years, being no longer able to do much of the work in my own
garden. It seems a curious thing to those who are long-term gardeners, but so
many people without a gardening connection simply do not seem to
_see_ individual plants in a massed planting. If asked to weed they do not, as
we would, actually seem to focus on the plant they are pulling, but
simply grab up mixed handfuls which will all too often include your most
precious treasures, and when you protest at the carnage seem quite
bewildered about what is bugging you. I have found with some of them a careful
demo of handling individual plants and deciding whether they should go or stay
soon works, but others can apparently take it in and then go back
and commit the same mayhem as before. I had one willing and really charming
old bloke for nearly a year who had obviously not gardened until he retired
and after a while I realised he was simply incapable of anything
but clean weeding and for the last part of our acquaitance I had him
just clearing used veg beds, weeding paths, edging beds and
sweeping up weeds, which he did with great efficiency. Otherwise I should
not I think have had any plants left in my borders!
What I have also noticed is that women catch on
MUCH quicker than men and I am now really lucky to have got me a female helper
who was almost untrained but willing and who has over a very few months become
really skilled so that I can now trust her to weed any bed correctly even if
she does not have any preliminary coaching from me..
Anyway, I just purchased two Pandorea vines last
week for my pergola near my water tank - I have never seen this vine or
grown it before but they looked so attractive at the nursery, I
went ahead and got them. I thought the plant label said Pandorea
jasminoides - so I am not sure they are the same as what you have. From
Sean's description, I think not, as my flowers seem larger and do not droop
but stay horizontal. One has pure white tubular flowers and the
other has white flowers with magenta colored throats in the center of the
tube. My pergola has pressure treated wood that is a reddish brown
color (I left it natureal) and I thought the dark green leaves and white
flowers would look good on it. They are about 4 foot tall and have a few
blooms on them and seem to already be putting on more blossoms. Since it
so hot here during the day I expected them to wilt after planting but they
seem to be doing just fine. I did have hardenbergia there but it froze
to the ground this past winter and I didn't like the look of that vine in that
location, so I took the hardenbergia out. I got the Pandorea at Mezquite
Nursery in Strathmore which is about a 20 miles from where I live in
Central California. Here is their website: http://mezquitenursery.com/
I think they have another nursery in southern California too - not sure if you
could arrange for them to be shipped by them or something. I think they
are growers and supply other nurseries too.
These are two different species. Pandorea
jasminoides is the Bower of beauty and P pandorana the Wonga wonga vine.
Both are native to Australia, but while P.pandorana takes only the lightest of
frosts, P jasminoides is able to stand a good deal more cold and is in my
opinion the more beautiful and showy species, though both are worth growing
wnere the climate is mild enough as while jasminoides comes only in white
or pink, pandorana not only has these two colours but also a beautiful golden
form.
I don't think I ever pruned a wonga
vine, however the instructions in a local book mention they _can_ be
cut with shears, so they can't be very fussy. Anyway in my experience most
Bignoniaceae are extremely vigorous and I suspect hard to kill, so I
would expect Carol that your one which has been hard treated will come back
more vigorous than ever. It has at least still got _some_ growth on it, even
if only stems, but also a large vigorous root system to encourage
it. I would suggest though you keep a close watch on it and don't let it
suffer any further stress by getting dry until it is well
re-established.
Moira
