Hello! I'm new here, but you all seem very friendly!
I need advice about my campsis radicans, which I've had for 4 years or more now.
It is growing against a south facing pergola and has only reached 4 feet in height. It gets plenty of leaves, but never any flowers. It dies back in winter, then starts up again in late Spring.
What else can I do to get it to really take off and produce flowers? Or should I just give up on it? Any help gratefully received..Thanx

Gilli wrote:
Hello! I'm new here, but you all seem very friendly!
I need advice about my campsis radicans, which I've had for 4 years or
more now.
It is growing against a south facing pergola and has only reached 4
feet in height. It gets plenty of leaves, but never any flowers. It
dies back in winter, then starts up again in late Spring.
What else can I do to get it to really take off and produce flowers? Or
should I just give up on it? Any help gratefully received..Thanx

My aunt (in France) had Madame Galant one - with red flowers. Hers
reached the spare bedroom on the first floor where I stayed, perhaps 6
metres high. Do you know which one you have?They need hot, sunshine,
very sheltered or grown under glass in this country (I've never seen
one here). Perhaps you could move it against a well sheltered wall. But
don't give up!

"Gilli" wrote in message
...

Hello! I'm new here, but you all seem very friendly!
I need advice about my campsis radicans, which I've had for 4 years or
more now.
It is growing against a south facing pergola and has only reached 4
feet in height. It gets plenty of leaves, but never any flowers. It
dies back in winter, then starts up again in late Spring.
What else can I do to get it to really take off and produce flowers? Or
should I just give up on it? Any help gratefully received..Thanx


--
Gilli

I have seen these growing quite happily in West Yorkshire and they achieve a
height much greater than 4 feet after 4 years even in conditions that would
not be described as ideal.
Assuming that the plant has the correct ID then I suspect the soil
conditions must be very poor. Perhaps a good dose of fertiliser may promote
growth.

"Gilli" wrote in message
...

Hello! I'm new here, but you all seem very friendly!
I need advice about my campsis radicans, which I've had for 4 years or
more now.
It is growing against a south facing pergola and has only reached 4
feet in height. It gets plenty of leaves, but never any flowers. It
dies back in winter, then starts up again in late Spring.
What else can I do to get it to really take off and produce flowers? Or
should I just give up on it? Any help gratefully received..Thanx


--
Gilli

They need both sun and heat to flower and are usually plant on walls in the
uk when their habit is to grow stems during the season then flower on the
ends of them in the late summer, the wood must ripen or they will not flower
(hence the need for heat) they are not however tender as such and will stand
very cold winter temperatures, feeding can help the amount of growth as well
but I suspect your lack of growth is its getting a late start each year
because its not warm enough.
--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)

In article ,
Gilli writes:
|
| Hello! I'm new here, but you all seem very friendly!
| I need advice about my campsis radicans, which I've had for 4 years or
| more now.
| It is growing against a south facing pergola and has only reached 4
| feet in height. It gets plenty of leaves, but never any flowers. It
| dies back in winter, then starts up again in late Spring.
| What else can I do to get it to really take off and produce flowers? Or
| should I just give up on it? Any help gratefully received..Thanx

That's not right. Where do you live? And, equally importantly,
what is your soil like?

I have one, perhaps double that age, that flowers very well (in
Cambridge) against a south-west facing wall and over an arbor.
The soil is very well drained.

You need to remember that it grows like ivy - it has long stems
while they are attached to a wall, tree or whatever, and it bushes
out and flowers when they reach the top and waggle loose. I doubt
that it will grow up wires or thin ironwork.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in reply to Gilli :
|
| Hello! I'm new here, but you all seem very friendly!
| I need advice about my campsis radicans, which I've had for 4 years or
| more now.
| It is growing against a south facing pergola and has only reached 4
| feet in height. It gets plenty of leaves, but never any flowers. It
| dies back in winter, then starts up again in late Spring.
| What else can I do to get it to really take off and produce flowers? Or
| should I just give up on it? Any help gratefully received..Thanx

That's not right. Where do you live? And, equally importantly,
what is your soil like?

I have one, perhaps double that age, that flowers very well (in
Cambridge) against a south-west facing wall and over an arbor.
The soil is very well drained.

You need to remember that it grows like ivy - it has long stems
while they are attached to a wall, tree or whatever, and it bushes
out and flowers when they reach the top and waggle loose. I doubt
that it will grow up wires or thin ironwork.

Once it's big enough the secret here is in the last bit, the flowering stems
need to waggle loose in the breeze to flower. So if you are a tidy gardener
and prune everything to keep it neat it won't ever flower.

That said, a neighbour bought on last summer planted it in what I would
think was an ideal position and it's done nothing at all. Perhaps it was
getting it's feet down first like wisteria. We shall see this summer.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

Gilli wrote in message
...

Hello! I'm new here, but you all seem very friendly!
I need advice about my campsis radicans, which I've had for 4 years or
more now.
It is growing against a south facing pergola and has only reached 4
feet in height. It gets plenty of leaves, but never any flowers. It
dies back in winter, then starts up again in late Spring.
What else can I do to get it to really take off and produce flowers? Or
should I just give up on it? Any help gratefully received..Thanx


--
Gilli


Somewhat away from the original question, but I have alarm bells.

Something tells me Campsis Radicans is poisonous. Is that actually the case,
or am I worrying about nothing?

Also, is it amenable to cuttings? What time of year should I take them?

In article ,
"The Hound" The writes:
|
| Somewhat away from the original question, but I have alarm bells.
|
| Something tells me Campsis Radicans is poisonous. Is that actually the case,
| or am I worrying about nothing?

Dunno. And yes. Do you regularly foam at the mouth, tear off your
clothes, rush out into the garden and browse on the first woody
undergrowth you come across until you recover? If so, don't plant
laburnum, monkshood, lily of the valley, sumachs, foxgloves,
spurges, rhubarb, potatoes, privet, laurel etc.

| Also, is it amenable to cuttings? What time of year should I take them?

Probably, but it also suckers. Try digging down 6-12" away from
its stem, and nicking a root. If it suckers, then you will be
able to cut off a rooted plant.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

The message
from (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:


In article ,
"The Hound" The writes:
|
| Somewhat away from the original question, but I have alarm bells.
|
| Something tells me Campsis Radicans is poisonous. Is that actually
the case,
| or am I worrying about nothing?

Dunno. And yes. Do you regularly foam at the mouth, tear off your
clothes, rush out into the garden and browse on the first woody
undergrowth you come across until you recover? If so, don't plant
laburnum, monkshood, lily of the valley, sumachs, foxgloves,
spurges, rhubarb, potatoes, privet, laurel etc.

Do remember not to roll on the nettles and thistles..

Janet

In article ,
Janet Baraclough writes:
|
| Do remember not to roll on the nettles and thistles..

It depends on what you plan to do afterwards. Remember that
rolling in nettles is very stimulating to the peripheral blood
supply - if you have read Fanny Hill, you will have seen a
reference to a closely related technique for increasing the
blood supply to selected locations.

Apparently, yes, it works. But I have never put it to the
test myself. Perhaps, as I get older and less excitable, I
should try.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

The message
from (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:


In article ,
Janet Baraclough writes:
|
| Do remember not to roll on the nettles and thistles..

It depends on what you plan to do afterwards.

None of my plans for rolling around in beds include tiny prickles.

Janet

Dave Poole wrote in message
...
"The Hound" The wrote:

Somewhat away from the original question, but I have alarm bells.
Something tells me Campsis Radicans is poisonous. Is that actually the
case,
or am I worrying about nothing?

My first 'gut reaction' to this was that it was not - it belongs to a
family of plants (Bignoniaceae) not known for producing notable
toxins. However, I did a quick check amongst some toxins checklists I
collected a while back, when compiling lists of suitable plants for
aviaries. I discovered it is claimed by some to cause skin allergies
in susceptible persons, but that's about it. So, if you are prone to
allergies, the sap might cause a skin reaction, but if not the plant
is entirely safe.

Also, is it amenable to cuttings? What time of year should I take them?

It really is very easy to root from cuttings - soft shoot tips taken
in June with slight base heat under mist or in a closed case,
semi-hardwood side-shoots in late summer taken with a heel and even
hardwood cuttings from sturdy, 30cms sections of stem in early winter
inserted to half/two thirds deep. The compost needs to be very
sharply drained ( I prefer pure perlite, but a mix of horticultural
grit and sharp sand is also good) and as a precaution, a drench of
fungicide will help prevent basal rot.


Dave Poole
Torquay, Coastal South Devon UK
Winter min -2°C. Summer max 34°C.
Growing season: March - November

Thanks for the advice Dave. I'll treat it carefully, the same way that I'm
careful with euphorbias.

In article ,
"The Hound" The writes:
|
| Thanks for the advice Dave. I'll treat it carefully, the same way that I'm
| careful with euphorbias.

That is still a massive overreaction.

Euphorbias and sumachs both are seriously allergenic and ooze
sticky sap, oil etc. It is the combination of the two factors
that makes them significant problems.

Campsis doesn't do anything of the kind so, even if it is
seriously allergenic (which is doubtful), it is vastly less
likely to cause trouble.

Many, even most, plants can cause skin allergies in susceptible
persons, so it really doesn't justify treating any differently
from (say) clematis. Oh, yes, that can do the same - French
beggars were supposed to use it to cause ulcers.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren wrote:
[...]
Many, even most, plants can cause skin allergies in susceptible
persons, so it really doesn't justify treating any differently
from (say) clematis. Oh, yes, that can do the same - French
beggars were supposed to use it to cause ulcers.

Yep. British Poisonous Plants, MAFF Bulletin 161, always one of my
favourite books: "_Clematis vitalba_...All parts of the plant are
poisonous, the active principle resembling proto-anemonin. It is a
severe irritant and the juice, if applied to the skin, causes
blistering. If eaten it causes enteritis and severe abdominal pain with
diarrhoea, which in the end may be fatal."

Next week: how too much Fat Hen makes the soles of your feet go yellow.

--
Mike.

The message
from "Mike Lyle" contains these words:
Nick Maclaren wrote:
[...]
Many, even most, plants can cause skin allergies in susceptible
persons, so it really doesn't justify treating any differently
from (say) clematis. Oh, yes, that can do the same - French
beggars were supposed to use it to cause ulcers.

Yep. British Poisonous Plants, MAFF Bulletin 161, always one of my
favourite books: "_Clematis vitalba_...All parts of the plant are
poisonous, the active principle resembling proto-anemonin. It is a
severe irritant and the juice, if applied to the skin, causes
blistering. If eaten it causes enteritis and severe abdominal pain with
diarrhoea, which in the end may be fatal."

Next week: how too much Fat Hen makes the soles of your feet go yellow.


Followed by goose grass - and how to waddle and honk with an insane grin
on your face.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig