Vines make superb additions to any Southern Florida garden due to their ability to soften harsh walls or fences, produce gloriously colorful blooms, and grow incredibly quickly! These robust growing habits can make managing vines incredibly challenging, however, as they have an uncanny knack for rapidly taking over other plants in your landscape. We promise, though; they’re worth it. To help you better incorporate these stunning garden additions, we’ve collected some of the most vibrantly colorful vines and our best tips for managing them, all in one convenient place!
Tropical Wisteria
A vigorous pollinator magnet, tropical wisteria, also sometimes called Chinese wisteria, is a breathtaking purple-blue beauty that can bloom in partial shade or full sun. These stunners can grow up to 100 feet tall and can assume many different shapes based on your pruning habits. If you’re looking for tips on encouraging your tropical wisteria to produce more blooms, we strongly recommend avoiding nitrogen-based fertilizers in the Spring.
Florida Flame Vine
These breathtaking vines and their cascading clusters of orange flowers make an incredible addition to any Florida garden. Best of all, they bloom at a time of year many other plants don’t, making flame vines the perfect plant to have in your arsenal during the long winter months! Managing this vine is important, however; Florida flame vines love our Fort Lauderdale climate so much that they can smother nearby plants if not routinely pruned. On the bright side, if you’re looking to cover up an unsightly fence or wall quickly, these are the vines for you!
Lantana
While lantanas don’t always exhibit a vining habit, there are many varieties that do! These diversely colored plants often behave like tropical vines due to their quick-growing nature and salt tolerance, making them the ideal plant to place in a hanging pot on a sunny porch by the sea. We recommend managing this energetic plant by pruning it back regularly and growing it in pots to keep it from spreading everywhere!
Bleeding Heart Vine
If you’re on the lookout for a vine with lush foliage and unique flowers, look no further than the bleeding heart vine! At Living Color Garden Center, we’re huge fans of these twining vines due to their ability to grow beautifully under all kinds of conditions, not to mention their unbeatable blooms! Each scarlet flower emerges from a whorl of white bracts, creating an unusual and beautiful effect that’s sure to set your garden apart. These vines do exceptionally well when grown on a trellis or fence line; just check routinely to ensure their searching vine tips haven’t grabbed ahold of something they shouldn’t!
Passionflower
It’s hard not to be passionate about passionflower vines. These vines are known for their ease of care and uniquely breathtaking blooms. Furthermore, if you’re a fan of fruit, these climbing vines will make an incredible addition to your food forest; the stunning flowers of certain passionflower varieties develop into delicious, tart passionfruit! If you need help managing unruly vines, simply prune back once or twice a year—your plant will thank you!
Star Jasmine
A Southern classic, star jasmine’s ethereal floral scent makes it a must-have in your garden. The white flowers are simple and lovely, glowing like tiny white stars against the dark green foliage. Depending on the needs of your space, these vines make an incredibly lush groundcover or a hardy climber. When managing your star jasmine, remember to prune it back a few times a year to tame its unruly ways and encourage fresh new growth and flowers.
Bougainvillea
Perfect for any sun-rich yard, bougainvillea are absolute stars when it comes to vibrant colors and ease of care. They come in magenta, red, orange, pink, white, and more, so you’re sure to find a variety that perfectly matches the palette of your garden. If you’re wondering how to encourage vine growth on your bougainvillea, remember to make sure it’s in a sunny spot! These vines need well-draining soil and a minimum of six hours of sunlight a day to thrive and create their signature profusions of brilliant blooms.
Once you’re armed with the tips and tricks for managing vines, growing these stunning and colorful plants is a breeze! Vines make a perfect addition to your garden, and are sure to bring some color to even the shadiest corners of your space. Whether you’re just wanting to browse our wide vine selection or you’re looking for more tips on managing Florida vines, Living Color Garden Center in Fort Lauderdale has everything you’ll need to succeed!