PlantFiles: Corkscrew Vine
Vigna caracalla

I have wanted this plant forever and finally broke down and ordered it from Logees. It is a beautiful specimen. My question is: will this live in a hanging basket?

I grew 2 from seeds last year. Both bloomed but only got 3 seedpods on one plant. Flowers smell very sweet, like candy to me. I let them go dormant for the winter. I left them in the pots (15" x 15") & poured about a cup or so of water on each one about once a month. The tops died back completely & I had my doubts that they were alive. This spring, I was happy to see them sprout & grow. One is blooming & the other has buds about to open.

Just ordered seeds from Summerhill after reading all the 'positive' comments, was a bit flawed by only 5 seeds so decided to try two methods, first I tried exactly what it said on the packet, two of two have come in just one week, and now I will try the others using a method by one of your bloggers, will let you know how it goes, I am zone 11 so think it will do well!

I live in Sydney, Australia and grew this plant from a seedling. It looks amazing and has covered the side fence, which was pretty ugly. I dies back in winter but doesn't lose all it's leaves. This year it flowered in spring, and now in autumn (fall!) it has flowered again. Great plant. I a going to take seeds and cuttings as I had a small one growing very well in a hanging basket, but it died over winter.

I bought this vine three years ago as a transplant. It is planted in a very drought prone part of my garden next to an arbor that it shares with Climbing Pinkie rose. The combination of the lavendar and white corkscrew shapes and the pinkie roses is exquisite. I thought the competing vines would be a problem, but they do quite well together. In winter the snail vine dies back and turns brown and brittle. It is very easy to pull the dead vines out from last year's snail vine and let it start all over again from the ground up. Mine blooms in mid to late summer. It's a very prolific climber

I nicked 2 packets of seeds I got from Parks last year and set them to soak tonight. I'm keeping a hopeful eye on them for the next few weeks. I was pleasantly surprised that each packet of 5 had an extra seed included.

We have a wonderfully fragrant and delightful plant, contained by paving (we hope.)

I started seeds bought from Park Seed and planted them in early May 2007, here in eastern Nebraska. The vines didn't start rapid growth until early July, and didn't flower until early August. However, once they started blooming they just went crazy - the vines totally covered my arbor and were incredibly loaded with flowers until as late as the end of October. Large dangling clusters of corkscrew flowers, purple streaks on a white background which faded to cream and then to yellow. Very fragrant, fragrance was noticeable from across the yard if the wind was right. I've already planted twice as many this year.

I bought seeds from Onal-Lee and they all are little sprouts now. I have had some difficulties with bugs but nothing big. Love these and can't wait until they take off and produce some blooms.

Love it!

Annual here in Denver. Hot and hardly any humidity and it did great this summer. Planted 3 from seed (started indoors in March)...had it grow up an arbor I built and it was loaded with flowers! I would say about.....75. Even a few seed pods (but it did not ripen in time before frost). I will grow it always! Am trying cuttings to see if they root. Also dug the roots out to see if they keep over winter.

This was the first year I had grown this vine. It is wounderful plant. The flower are breath taking as well as their fragrant. I was told the small ant are the pollinator. I did have the small ants on my vine until it started blooming. Then the large ants took over and ran the smaller one off. I just know I wouldn't get any seed pods. But I was mistaken, there were little gnat like insects in and around the blooms as well as something that looked like a very tiny earwig in the blooms. The larger ants didn't seem to attack these insect . I now have alot of seed pods

I ordered two corkscrew flower vines from J&P and planted them in late April in Platte City, Missouri. I found an obelisk-type trellis and planted both tiny plants directly into the ground mixed with a couple of bags of manure. It wasn't long before they started winding their way up the trellis. By early to mid-summer, they had taken over the trellis completely. I knew blooms weren't due to come until late summer/early fall, but I started to get impatient as summer came to a close. Finally around the first week of September, tiny buds appeared all over, and the first bloom opened fully a couple of weeks later. Now it is mid-September, and several blooms are fully open and dozens upon dozens will open soon. The fragrance is like a light lilac/jasmine scent. I have loved every minute of having these vines and have had great success growing them in northwest Missouri!

I also have a few of these growing in 1 gallon pots. I would like to know the best way to overwinter them here in NY. I thought I would cut them back and leave them in the pots in my basement but it stays around 68 degrees down there. I have only had them since July but they have grown a ton.

I received these plants kind of late but planted them and they are growing like the dickens but, so far, no blooms! Hope it does before cold weather.

I was sold a seedling of what was supposed to be this plant and it has grown wonderfully but only produces purple flowers and has absolutely no scent.

I live in Lakeland, in central Florida, USDA Zone 9a. I planted this by seed in August and it's growing well so far, even when temps went down to 29 overnight. I can't wait to see it bloom.

I received my plant in good condition in April. I planted it and it was dug up twice by our Siberian Husky pup looking for cool dirt. I replanted it and it survived and grew well. It covered a large area and some of the vines were 15-20 ft. It finally began blooming in September and the blooms are so fragrant. It is fun showing friends and family the vine and its luscious blooms. They are amazed at it and want to know where I got it. I have given out lots of clippings. It is a beautiful vine that I am very pleased with. It will have a special place in my garden here in Missouri every year. I am bringing in clippings tonite because a frost is coming. Later I will dig up the tuber roots and store them till Spring.

Finally got my first blooms in early September!

I think that the weather finally got hot and nasty enough (sorry heat lovers!) around here for the whole month of August, and that's just what it seemed to need.

Love the flowers, but garden real estate is at a premium in my yard. Don't know if I'd devote the space next year.

Applies only to So. Cal. readers: I bought the seeds from Park's Seed 2 years ago. They all sprouted and I transplanted them along my 6' fence to grow up a large 10' trellis. The first year, they were fine and didn't bloom much. This year, they took off and spread everywhere. By everywhere, I mean they invaded the neighbor's yard, my lemon tree is totally covered with the vine twining all the way through the branches, and it's spread out, up, over, etc. The blooms don't last too long, but this thing is tough once established. It's become impossible to control. I've cut it clear to the ground twice so far this year. It seems to grow faster than Morning Glories. I think the plants originated in China and the roots traveled through the center of the Earth and ended up in the U.S. I just hope full strength Round-Up applied this fall will finally do these things in.

Also, the Home Depot stores here carry the Snail Vine (Phaseolus caracalla) and try to pass it off as a Vigna caracalla. They had a ton of them staked in gallon pots for $4.95 (and labeled incorrectly), so I knew something was wrong. I finally saw one in bloom and knew it wasn't a Vigna. My neighbors had a Snail Vine that took over their palm trees, so they're very invasive also.

On a personal note, if I can't kill these things, the first person that brings a backhoe can did them up and have them. I guess the lemon tree will have come with them.

Beautiful apple green vine that really perks up with iron, but WHEN does it bloom? Says midsummer on the tag & it is the middle of July here in Houston and I don't see any blooms.

Just received two plants yesterday & am looking forward to experimenting with it. I hope it does do well in wind as out here in Nebraska the wind is almost always blowing.

I Just got my order in from parks and they are nice looking plants.
I have heard so much about them here at DG and just had to have one.
I think I will put some in the sunroom and some outside.
I will let you know how they do for me in a few months.
:}
rh

well the one I had in the sunroom didn't do much so I put it on the trellis and it has grown more but still it is small,it only gets half a day of sun in that spot.
But the ones I have on a tree in full sun have done great and I think I will put them all on the tree next year.
I love this vine.

One of my top ten favorite plants with it's exquisite flower. I keep mine in a huge 24" pot, let it cover the side of the fish pond from spring to fall, (layering the tendrils for more plants all year) then trim it back and place it in the outside winter greenhouse for protection until the following spring.

I love this plant. It is quickly becoming my favorite. This year I am trying to grow it, only problem is that I live in Canada and we have very cold winters.

I am sure this will not do good over winter here in my zone but it is growing nicely in a pot in front of my southern window, leaves are sprouting, and I will put it on patio this summer, hopefully will get flowers.

I received 2 precious seeds in a trade and experimented a little trying to germinate them. Soaking the seed without first nicking it didn't result in germination, but after nicking & soaking again the seed did sprout, so nicking seems to be important.

I nicked the seed coat, then soaked it for 12+ hours in warm, half-strength chamomile tea (started out warm, anyway, obviously it cooled to room temperature). The seed plumped up considerably with soaking. Then I put the seed into a scrap of paper towel moistened with the same tea and into a sealed baggie. In 2 to 3 days, I had germination! Temperature was a pretty constant 80 degrees, which may also be key.

I'll report again when/if I have an actual plant!

This is a must if you love beautiful flowers & wonderful fragrance. This is my third winter with this vine & while it does die back, it returns in the Spring ready to awe me all over again. I had to pick the seedpods green this year due to early freeze, and let them dry indoors. I was sure they were not viable, but of the 8 seeds I planted on Jan 1st, 2005, 6 are already sprouted. The seeds need to be nicked and soaked overnight in the hottest tap water you have, then planted in a seed starter mix & given bottom heat, mine stayed at 69 degrees.
I have been told this vine does not do well in shade, mine gets full sun in the morning and then again mid-late afternoon & thrives.

Snail vine grows very well in zone 10. It does not lose its leaves in the winter here in southern California. Also the young flowers are quite tasty and add beauty to a salad!

Marvelous Gardens, CA zone 10

This plants LOVES humidity and warmth. The only time it put on sigificant growth and the leaves actually opened (instead of laying flat and closed) was when it was in the 90's and VERY humid outside.

If the right conditions are provided, it'll grow well.

I purchased 2 of these from Logee's Greenhouse at a very reasonable price. They arrived in excellent condition and I put them in my kitchen window which is a southern exposure. After losing one and almost the other due to an aphid infestation and one very naughty kitty, I now have it in my bathroom window which also faces south. My bathroom does not have an exhaust fan and since it is now growing like crazy I assume it likes the warmth and humidity. I'll let you know when it blooms!

I went to Monticello and saw the plant and had to have it, it is so interesting. I bought it in the early fall I left it in the pot and cut it back to 1' and put it a dark area with no water (my crawl space under the house). In the spring I brought it out and it has grown well (I live in southeastern VA). The one odd thing is one plant is blooming (I bought 2) and the other has not bloomed, but is growing what looks like berries, not seed/bean pods.

I planted this in May in Northern Virginia, and while the vine has grown quite well, it has yet to produce a single flower, and it is already August 1st. Ocassionally, a couple of leaves will turn very yellow and die. Also, the plant seems to turn slightly yellow at times. We have had plenty of rain here, and when we get a long dry spell I do water it. I have also fertizlied ocassionally.

Purchased this from Monticello Thomas Jefferson Foundation. It arrived in excellent condition and by Federal Express all for $10.00

The bare root of this vine sure is funky looking. They said in the instructions that "the root you have received was grown from seed during last year's growing season. After growth died down in the fall, the tuber was removed from its pot and stored over winter in boxes of moistened sphagnum moss in an unheated room. Growth will begin anew as the season warms in late spring."

My Corkscrew Flower didn't put out a great deal of foliage, and was a much slower grower than its counterpart(my snail vine), but the blooms have made up for it! Their curly(cream with violet accents) bloom clusters are very showy and smell like Arabian Jasmine-(at least to me). It is a strong scent, and can be smelled in the air without even getting up close to the bloom! If you get REALLY close, you can also see a blue with yellow marking inside the flower. Absolutely fascinating. Everyone that has seen mine says the same thing-"wow, what is that?"...

The fragrance is out of this world, and the interesting flowers are a favorite of any visitor to our gardener. This plant will be in our gardens every year from now on.

A note: It is a tropical perennial, and not hardy in most of the United States. I grow the plant as an annual, and right before the frost, I take a few cuttings to overwinter until the next spring.