Petrea - Sandpaper Vine or Queen's Wreath

Ask me what my favorite vine is, and without hesitation I will say Petrea volubilis :)








This vine is great for Central Florida, non aggressive, butterfly friendly and its flowers display an uncommon and most beautiful shade of blue.




It is listed as Semi-deciduous and it weathers the cold seasons just fine. During our last cold winter it dropped its leaves, but as soon as it warmed up they sprouted again quickly.






The major bloom time is in Spring, but compared to the Wisteria blooming just once a year, the Petrea repeats flowering all through the warm season. The flowers resemble tiny orchids and are very attractive in a grape cluster with light lavender colored star-shaped petals and an amethyst colored center.





This plant has average water needs and does not mind our clay rich soil. Once established it tolerates drought. It prefers at least 6 hours of sun per day. It can be kept at a small size, but if allowed it will grow to 30 ft. A strong support is recommended for this woody climber.






Why the name Sandpaper vine? The leaves are stiff like cardboard and rough like sandpaper :)

4 comments:

  1. Beautiful! This vine always catches my eye here in CenFla. Did you say your soil is clay rich?!! We have sugar sand here in my parts....

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  2. I can see why you like this vine...it is gorgeous! The flowers are beautiful, and I would also enjoy seeing that every day in my garden.

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  3. yes, we have clay, very mucky soil. But this vine grows in sandy soil just as good :-)

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  4. I guess your zone 7b is too chilly for this vine during the winter months, I did get reports of this vine growing in zone 8 at a protected location. Who knows, in a few years it may grow in your zone, with this ongoing climate change.

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