Answers to Go with Susan Smith
Q. I really like the brilliant pink flowers of
queen’s wreath that I see around historic homes in San Marcos. Of course, those homes have better soil than my rocky Hill Country yard. Is it a good choice for my garden?
A . Library readers love gardening books, especially those on Texas plants. The source for the information below is “Dale Groom’s Texas Gardening Guide.”
Queen’s wreath is also known as coral vine. Groom’s book is fun because he likes to begin each entry with a personal story: “My first sight of coral vine was in Brownwood (west of Waco) on Granny Miller’s chain link fence. Granny Miller never grew a flowering plant that was difficult to care for and coral vine worked wonderfully on her fence.
“If you are looking for an easy-to-grow flowering perennial vine that will thrive where hardy in Texas, take a look at this vine. It puts out a sufficient amount of leaves to make nice shade in the summertime on a trellis or other structure where you wish to have a great blooming plant. In zones eight and nine, it comes back year after year.”
San Marcos is in U.S. Department of Agriculture Hardiness Zone 8b due to an average annual extreme minimum temperature of 15 to 20.
Groom continues with specific instructions: “Plant in early spring after all danger of frost has passed, in improved, well-drained soil. Select a sunny spot and incorporate 3 inches of organic matter into the top 3 inches of native soil. Firm the soil, water thoroughly, apply root stimulator according to label directions, and mulch.
“When planting seeds, prepare the soil and make sure the soil temperature is above 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
“While coral vine is quite drought tolerant, it will appreciate an occasional long, deep drink of water. Water as necessary to prevent soil dryness. Maintain a layer of 3 to 4 inches of bark mulch to aid in soil moisture retention.
“Coral vine will benefit from applications of fertilizer throughout the growing season. Use granular, water-soluble, or liquid rose fertilizers. Apply in spring as new growth begins. Follow with an additional application 12 weeks later and again in early fall.
Coral vine/queen’s wreath blooms summer to fall with pink or white blossoms. Mature vines may grow to lengths of 10 to 15 feet. Coral vine is considered pest-free.
Knowing how Hill Country gardeners struggle with deer, I checked on that. Groom doesn’t include coral vine on his list of deer resistant plants, but I did find it as deer resistant on several Central Texas online lists.
Forrest W. Appleton is a certified nursery professional and a Bexar County Master Gardener. His “Coping with Deer” webpage is aimed at urban gardeners and he opens with this caveat: “Deer can't read. When they are hungry, they will eat almost anything.”
Here’s Appleton’s list of deer-resistant vines: coral vine/queen’s crown, butterfly vine, Carolina jessamine, confederate jasmine, crossvine, Mexican flame vine, trumpet vine and Virginia creeper.
The San Antonio Water System’s online resource, Garden Style San Antonio, offers this take on deer and queen’s wreath/coral vine: “This vine is a rapid grower that produces pink flowers from July until the first freeze. Of course, deer will eat it, but regrowth is so fast the deer feasting is actually helpful in keeping it from getting too overgrown.”
