The Florida agriculturist., 1908-03-01
Flowering Vines of the Southland.

many vines in our modern Eden OF
Land OF Flowers [ should need to
close my eyes and grab the one near
est at hand to make a choice, so many
are there and so beautiful are the many.
The vines hold warm place in my
regard 1t takes several years for
them to become handsome, and no
cover picturesquely all sorts of hooks
and corners. In doing that they have
fulfilled a mission, but when added
to their grace and greenness they
bloom out in all their glory they are
the most desirable attributes Of the
present Garden of Eden" Even that
original vine supposed to be the grape,
is beautiful in its growth, and luscious
in its prodigality.
The tender Towering vines which
grow to perfection in the warm south
land are numerous and many-co1ored.
One may have succession of bloom
ing vines all the year. After the
climbing roses, of which there is
great variety in all the colors of the
rose family, I think I am fondest of
the exquisite pink Tecoma. The vine
growth is luxuriant and the leaves are
almost fern like. The green of the
vine is especially harmonious with the
pink OF the trumpet-shaped flower.
This shade of pink is rare and exceed
lngly beautiful. It is shell pink, flush
ed with carmlne, and the clusters are
large, so that in August the vine is
one mass of airy pink clusters held on
long stems well above the foliage.
Combined with the blue P1umbago
near at hand, both blooming at the
same time Of the year, one has some
thing Of which to be proud The blue
Plumbago is a color even more deli
cate than the blue Forget-M Me-Not, and
it blooms profuse1y and the vine IS a
strong and vigorous grower. The
Solanum is called blue, but when seen
near a Plumbago it shows it's true law
ender cast. It is a most snowy vine.
The growth is very vigorous, the
leaves large and coarse, and the pani-
cleS Of bloom are coarse when one
looks at them closely, yet when
quaint brown garden-house is covered
with this vine Haunting innumerable
clusters Of it's flowers it is certainly a
handsome sight.
The Moonfowers are desirable vines.
The common deep blue is a rampant
grower, and is just the vine for sheds,
fences and old corners. Its color is
vivid and the blossoms remain open at
least half Of the day. The white
Moonf1ower is more a night bloomer
and is very delicate and exquisite, but
| think Of all of them the pale pink
MoOnf1OWer is to ME the most exqui-
site. Perhaps it is because shell pink
is such shy color in the floral world,
that | have a most ardent admiration
for it.
Then there are the PassiAoras. "Con-
stance Elliott" the white, and the
common blue, are the varieties I have.
Their growth is strong and the bloom
handsome, but the ripe fruit causes
more comment when the vine hangs
full OF the orange-colored egg-shaped
AFFAIRS. They are quite tasty for ear
ing also
The Honeysuck1e revels in the
SSouthland, and is indeed part of the
South. It's fragrance is the most re-
freshing of any flower I know. On
day when one is exhausted, to fill
vase with honeysuckle and place in the
room where one is sitting is like viv-
flying, fragrant mental bath. I could
not be without the honeysuckles. And
the fragrant jasmines, while they are
too heavy for the house, yet they per-
tune the whole garden generously.
The Clematis is a magnificent flow
ering vine, and the huge white one
does exceptionally we'll in Our climate.
The purple one is shy and difficult to
get established but once with a good
growth it is a strikingly handsome
flower There is the brilliant scarlet