Oh, the Wonders of Coral Vine!

gillnurseryPlant Spotlight7 Comments

I suspect most of you have noticed the hot pink flowers cascading over fences all over town. It’s what we fondly call Coral Vine-Antigonon leptopus. It is the prettiest vine I have ever seen and surely the easiest vine to grow. I have wanted one for many years and last year finally planted one near our courtyard fence. It was not too impressive last fall. I found myself thinking there’s got to be some secret to getting them to look so beautiful. So I waited, and this year it did not disappoint! The entire top rail of our fence is covered with brilliant green hearts and rosy pink flowers hanging down like grape clusters. Every morning it is filled with honeybees and hummingbirds and butterflies. Coral vine is unnoticeably common most of the year; lying dormant during the winter, then resembling a pretty weed-vine you might find growing in an alleyway or up a telephone pole. It is that vigorous and grows quite rapidly during summer.

They need some to most sun with well drained soil. They are very drought tolerant once established. They are a true vine with tendrils so they need something to grow on; a fence, trellis, another plant. There is a new variety called fandango that has more brilliant flowers…hard to imagine but they are! We have them in stock now!

Debbie debbie

7 Comments on “Oh, the Wonders of Coral Vine!”

  1. how far apart to you plant the coral vine fandango? Also how tall do they grow. I have my back fence already covered with jasmine which is already growing all the way up into the trees. I would like to add some color to the already beautifull which blooms in January with beautiful white blooms. but I would like to plant this coral vine so later in the year i would have coral vine blooming. I live in San Antonio texas ZONE 8B, what months can I expect the coral vine fandango to bloom. What size plants do you all have for sale and how much are they.
    Abe Rodriguez. Home: 210 699 0486. Please leave message on my answering machine, or please provide the requested information via an Email. Thanks………………………

  2. Abe, we have 5 gallon at $29.99. They can grow to 15 feet if they have support, but just a foot or so taller than your fence. I would not put them solid, but just periodically, especially if you have some spots on the fence where your jasmine is not covering or is not as dense. If they can compete with the existing jasmine, even just 3 or 4 coral vines will give you a pretty good show.

    1. SOME OF THE WEBSITES THAT I HAVE VISITED SAY THEY CAN GROW 30 TO 40 FEET HIGH. THE NURSERY WHERE I PURCHASED ONE 3 GALLON PLANT HAD THEY GROWING UP INTO THE TREES WHICH WAS SURELY MORE THAN 15 FEET. ARE THERE DIFFERNET CAROL VINES (ANTIGONON LEPTOPUS) WHICH ONLY GROW 15 FEET TALL. I WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE THE ONES THAT GROW 30 TO 40 FEET HIGH, SO THEY CAN BE AS HIGH AS MY ASIATIC JASMINE WHICH IS ALREADY WAY UP INTO TO THE TREES. I JUST WANT TO ADD SOME COLOR TO MY JASMINE AND TREES.
      HOW FAR APART SHOULD I PLANT THEM, AND CAN THEY GROW AND BLOOM IN SHADE, SEMI SHADE(FILTERED SUN).
      HOW WIDE AND HOW TALL ARE YOUR 5 GALLON PLANTS, AND HOW IS IT SHIPPED AND HOW MUCH ARE THE SHIPPING CHARGES. DO YOU HAVE A STORE IN SAN ANTONIO?
      ABE RODRIGUEZ

      1. We do not have a store in S.A. and do not ship. I have only encountered Coral Vine and Fandango Coral Vine, only difference I am aware of is the slight difference in bloom color. Different growing heights are greatly affected by available support and other variables. Not recommended for shade!

  3. What color is fandango? Guess the real question is are there red coral vines. My wife took a picture at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens and they look very red. Believe it is coral vine. Any guesses.

    1. I think its a stretch calling it red, but Fandango is darker than the species. I have not yet seen one I personally would call red.

  4. I grow these plants in my bee yard to provide a good nectar source for honey bees. My plan is to make a garden full of coral vine to keep more beehives.

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