Although slow to start in spring, once up and running the tender perennial coral vine, Antigonon leptopus, performs as a tropical treasure all summer long. The fast growing woody-stemmed lightweight vine twines 40 feet to the top of porches and pergolas, along garden fences, across railroad ties and up the trunks of trees. The Mexican native and buckwheat family member is found growing throughout the south in USDA hardiness zones 7-10.
From midsummer to frost profuse clusters of pink, red, or white gemlike flowers dance from the vine. Flowers are foraged by bees, butterflies, flies, wasps, thrips. Bees are the key pollinators of coral vine and the vine is an important one for beekeepers.
In fall the soft pale green heart shaped leaves turn a series of earth tones before falling off. The leaf surface is crinkly and the underside of leaves has a distinctive quilt pattern venation. Spectacular floral racemes race to the finish line into fall.
In Florida and southern Texas coral vine is an evergreen, elsewhere deciduous. Because of its abundance and frequency, the vine is considered an invasive weed in Florida.
A Vine By Any Other Name
The list of common names for coral vine is as long as the vine: confederate vine, Mexican creeper, Mexican coral vine, hearts on a chain, chain-of-love, love vine, pink vine, corallita, coronillo, rose of Montana vine, mountain rose, and Queen’s wreath.
Culture of Coral Vine
Coral vine relishes the tropical trilogy of sun, heat and humidity. The roots grow in most soils. Regular watering speeds up its already fast growth rate. Once the plant is established, it is drought tolerant.
Old vines need to be cut back in winter. Vines may need pruning for restraint in summer.
Coral vines are pest and disease free.
Propagating Coral Vine
When the vine dies down following frost, the tubers go dormant underground. One way to propagate plants is to dig up and divide the tubers. In summer the vine can be multiplied with softwood cuttings.
Gardeners collect and save seed of this passalong plant. Propagation by seed is a snap. The brown pointed heart-shaped seeds germinate in 21-30 days when soil temperatures are 65° to 70.° Seeds do not need to be chilled, soaked or scarified before planting.
The vine does reseed itself putting forth abundant offspring around the mother plant. Birds, raccoons and other wildlife consume the seeds.
Landscape Uses of Coral Vine
The climbing vine needs room to grow for its best show. Coral vine comes to the rescue for homeowners in need of a fast screen or quick overhead shade.
The vine can be grown on a trellis, arbor, pergola, chain-link fence, up the trunk of a tree or tall post and cascading over garden walls. The vine's dense growth creates an effective groundcover too.
University of Georgia horticulture professor Allan Armitage notes that the vigorous vine was used to hide antiaircraft weaponry in World War II. Gardeners need only use their imagination to disguise the unsightly with a charming chaining creeper.
In cold climates the vine can be grown in a container in summer and taken indoors to overwinter.
Let the beautiful leaves and flowers of the coral vine bring love on a vine to your garden.
Sources
- Armitage, Allan. Armitage’s Vines and Climbers: A Gardeners Guide to the Best Vertical Plants. Portland: Timber Press, 2010.
- Bender, Steve and Felder Rushing. Passalong Plants. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1993.
- Cutler, Karan D. Flowering Vines – Beautiful Climbers. Brooklyn: New York Botanic Garden, 1999.
Arlene Marturano - Arlene Marturano, an educator, consultant, master gardener, and writer advocates gardens as a context and gardening as a tool for ...
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