Cup and Saucer Vine

I recently attended a lecture on “Vines” by Hardy Plant Society Member, David Palmer, who lives and gardens in West Linn.  When he showed a picture of Cobaea scandens, it reminded me of plants I had grown some years ago.  It is a very fast growing vine, starts easily from seed and would be excellent to cover a screen or trellis in the summer.  It often goes by two common names, ‘Cup and Saucer Vine’ and ‘Cathedral Bells’ and the name is from the way the flower is shaped.  The flower is also quite unusual in that it changes color as it progresses through the bloom cycle.  When the flowers first appear they are a light green and in a couple of days turn purple.  It is technically a perennial but it our climate would be treated as an annual.  The one drawback that I remember when growing it is that it does not bloom until late in the season, late August and September.  I saw a vine recently in the garden of some friends and it had grown to at least 15 feet.  Start seeds indoors in early spring and set plants out when danger of frost is over.  This is a very vigorous vine and needs a strong support.

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Abutilon

Listener Jeff Boswell sent me this photo of his Abutilon.  They are often called Flowering Maple, and make wonderful summer blooming plants.  They usually begin flowering in early summer and continue until frost.  There is a wide selection of colors available from the red (shown here) to white, pink and yellow.  Some have variegated leaves and can provide a nice splash of color with just the foliage.  I always have several in containers on my deck and enjoy their long bloom period.  The plants are not reliably winter hardy and if we have a very cold winter, they will often die.  This is especially true if they are in a container.  In the ground, if they are mulched heavily and have good drainage, they will often survive.  I do not know the specific variety that Jeff has, but it looks like ‘Nabob’.

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White Hardy Hibiscus

After our discussion on September 1, with Brian Bauman from Barman Farm in Gervis, listener Paul Northrop from Lake Oswego sent me this photo of his hardy hibiscus.  He reports that it is 7 feet tall and gets taller every year.  He was not sure of the specific variety, but my guess is ‘Blue River II’.  I have seen this particular hibiscus growing in local gardens and if this is not it, it is very similar.  The name ‘Blue River II’ has no connection to the flower but refers to where the plant was growing in the wild, along the Blue River in Oklahoma.  It certainly is a beautiful plant, very easy to grow, and deserves to be known in our gardens.  It is a perfect plant for late summer/early fall color. 

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Tomatoes

Generally, this season has been one of few diseases on tomatoes.  Most gardeners are reaping a bumper harvest and I have not heard of many problems from listeners.  However, there is always the issue of blossom end rot and this photo is a good example.  Some varieties seem to be more susceptible than others and if your tomatoes are showing symptoms like this, there is not much to be done, especially at this late date.  Blossom end rot seems to be triggered by fluctuations in soil moisture so having mulch around plants can help keep moisture levels more uniform.  Lack of calcium can also trigger this disease and adding lime at planting time can be helpful.  I suggest adding one cup of hydrated lime at planting time.

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