Native Plants

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Sunday - June 21, 2009

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Vines
Title: Evergreen vine for Austin
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

In addition to coral honeysuckle, carolina jasmine, and crossvine can you recommend any other fairly hardy, evergreen vines that will do well draping from the top of a wall in Austin, Texas. Exposure varies from due West to North. Thank you.

ANSWER:

Gelsemium sempervirens (Carolina jessamine), Lonicera sempervirens (coral honeysuckle), and Bignonia capreolata (crossvine) are the only evergreen vines that we would recommend for Austin since they are the only NATIVE evergreen vines growing in Travis County. We could recommend several deciduous vines that are attractive (e.g., Matelea reticulata (netted milkvine), Passiflora incarnata (purple passionflower), Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)) but there aren't any other native evergreen vines that grow in Texas.

Gelsemium sempervirens

Lonicera sempervirens