Bignonia capreolata The crossvine, known scientifically as Bignonia capreolata, is an enthusiastic woody vine that showcases delightful branched tendrils with special adhesive disks. Gardeners love this plant for its stunning flowers and lush foliage, which can quickly envelop any structure in beauty. Its compound leaves feature lovely dark green leaflets, elegantly paired with tendrils in between. You'll notice the leaflets can range from slender lanceolate shapes to broader oblong forms. Those handy tendrils easily grasp onto walls, thanks to the adhesive disks at their tips. In southern climates, the leaves stay evergreen, but in cooler areas, they transform to a charming reddish-purple hue in the fall, before gracefully dropping off. As spring arrives, be prepared to enjoy fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom in cheerful yellow-orange and red shades, appearing in lovely clusters of two to five blooms. By late summer, pod-like seeds develop, reaching up to 7 inches and maintaining a soft green color into the fall. This fascinating vine shares a close relationship with the trumpet vine, scientifically known as Campsis radicans. The crossvine thrives best in average, well-drained soils with medium moisture, basking in full sun to part shade. Although it can manage in full shade, you’ll find it rewards you with the most beautiful blooms when it enjoys plenty of sunlight. A bit of pruning after flowering can help keep it looking its best! In USDA Zone 5, the above-ground stems might take a hit in harsh winters, but don’t worry—the roots are typically quite resilient and will sprout fresh growth come springtime. Sometimes, established plants may send out root suckers, which you can choose to remove if you’d like to keep their growth in check. NPSOT's Featured Spring Plant 2023 BONAP MAP Height: 35’-50’Spread 6’-9’Bloom: May-JuneLight: Full Sun-Part ShadeWater: LowZone: 5-9Origin: Texas, central and eastern U.S.Deer Resistant: No
Related
Related