Tropical vines usually have vibrant and colorful flowers. They grow best in tropical climates but can survive in colder temperatures if you adjust the conditions for them. Typically, vines also need support to climb and a sunny place to grow; thus, preparing the practical necessities before planting them will help you produce beautiful and healthy vines.
What Are Tropical Vines?
Tropical vines are plants that grow in hot and humid temperatures and can survive throughout the year in countries with tropical climates. Even so, these vines also can survive in colder climates but need some adjustment to survive in colder climates. Some suggestions are to put the vines indoors or grow them in a greenhouse.
Tropical vines have varieties of flowers and leaf patterns. Most of the time, these vines need full sun and high humidity to grow and bloom. Therefore, it’s best to plan before planting them to allow them to grow and bloom nicely.
What Are the Most Common Tropical Vines to Grow?
There are many beautiful tropical vines to grow in your garden. Some vines are easy to grow and bloom, but some may require more effort. Here, we include the nine most common tropical vines with their characteristics and care.
Bougainvillea
This vine has a few variations with stunning, vibrant colors. You can find bougainvillea colors in red, pink, fuchsia, orange, and yellow. When you plant them all together, these varieties will bring a cheerful mood to your garden.
Water Requirements
When you first plant bougainvillea, it requires a fair bit of water. Later, you can give the plant frequent shallow watering weekly or deep waterings every 3 or 4 weeks. Check the soil’s dryness to gauge if your plant needs watering or not. Bougainvillea soil should never be completely dry.
Soil Requirements
Planting bougainvillea is quite simple as this vine does not need extra care. Before planting the vine, prepare soil mix with compost or dried leaves for better drainage.
As bougainvillea grows fast, you need to trim the branches occasionally. This plant climbs walls and adapts to its environment very well. You can create a flowery wall or a bonsai with bougainvillea.
Sun Requirements
Place it under full sun or partial shade.
Bleeding Heart Vine
Bleeding heart vine, also known as glory bower, has different flower colors such as purple, yellowish-white, pink, and red. They usually have small flower petals in two color combinations. This combination will make your garden more vibrant without having to plant different vines for color variations.
Water Requirements
This vine needs a lot of moisture but be careful not to let the water stagnate in the container. Water them regularly, but ensure that the water drains well through the soil.
Soil Requirements
You can use a soil mix with organic materials for planting and add fertilizer to the soil as it grows.
Sun Requirements
Don’t give full sun exposure as it can make the vine dry fast. Shaded sunlight works best.
Blue Sky Vine
This blue sky plant is a fast-growing vine with blue-violet flowers visible among spade-shaped dark green leaves. When planting the vine, you need to provide a lot of space for them to grow. As they are rampant growers, you must plant the vines with a little distance between each one, so they will rise evenly.
Moreover, this vine can climb to any support nearby and grow up to 30 feet from the ground. Therefore, this is the best vine you can pick to cover your fence or decorate a trellis.
Water Requirements
You can take care of this plant by watering them regularly to maintain sufficient moisture.
Soil Requirements
For the soil, use top soil or organic peat moss for a better nutrient source.
Sun Requirements
Give the plant full sun for six hours in the morning and late afternoon. However, protect it from strong direct sunlight during the late morning and early afternoon.
Confederate Jasmine
This flower has a similar smell to nutmeg, a subtle fragrance that lasts long, even when dried. It is also known as star jasmine, a woody climbing vine that can be planted indoors or outdoors. As it has beautiful white flowers with a fragrant smell, this vine is a perfect addition to your front wall. You can plant them as a flower bed or let them climb on an arch gate.
Water Requirements
You don’t have to water the plant daily, but make sure you give it a deep watering every 10-21 days. As the vine grows more prominent, it can survive many days without water.
Soil Requirements
You must also use high-quality potting soil for vine planting and add less fertilizer to avoid overly rich soil. Since it grows fast, you’ll need to do frequent pruning to keep it in shape.
Sun Requirements
Then, place it under the full sun for better growth.
Coral Vine
This vine with small flower petals in pink and white colors attracts bees with its vivid colors, curly tendrils, and heart-shaped green leaves. You can grow coral vines from seeds, transplants, and cuttings.
Moreover, this plant can survive every season. In winter, the vine will become dormant due to frost, but when spring comes, it will grow back.
Water Requirements
In the beginning, water them regularly, and once it grows well, you can water them less as it’s a drought-tolerant plant.
Soil Requirements
You can use any soil for planting, and it doesn’t need fertilizer.
Sun Requirements
This plant needs full sunlight but can also tolerate partial shade.
Golden Trumpet
Golden trumpet (Allamanda cathartica) is a tropical vine with bright yellow trumpet-like flowers. The flowers usually bloom in summer, and the vine is densely covered with oval dark green leaves. Even though the stems may look hard, they can easily grab onto any support like a trellis. Thus, you can plant this vine in a container or train it to climb a fence or trellis.
Water Requirements
The golden trumpet vine doesn’t need too much water and if you live in tropical areas, regular rain is enough for it. However, if it’s dry season or particularly hot, water your vine until water drips from the soil underneath. Then wait until the first five centimeters of soil are dry before watering again.
Soil Requirements
Prepare high-quality well-drained potting soil for planting to avoid stagnant water in the container.
Sun Requirements
Let it grow under the full sun for at least 4 hours a day. If you want to make it a houseplant, place it near the window with high sun exposure.
Madagascar Jasmine
This plant is popular among wedding planners, as the flowers fit most wedding themes. It has white flower petals in short oval shapes. The flowers have distinctive musky smells that can last for ten days and are usually arranged as a flower bouquet for a wedding.
Water Requirements
Water the plant thoroughly when the top soil becomes dry.
Soil Requirements
For better moisture control, you also need to use potting soil with peat moss and perlite.
Sun Requirements
This vine is commonly used as a houseplant as it can’t tolerate direct sunlight. However, it needs sufficient sun exposure, so you must place the plant near a sunny window. Lacking sunlight will make the leaves yellow and wilt.
Mandevilla
The Mandevilla plant is usually full of flowers. The flowers are big with broad petals, and the colors may range from light pink to dark pink. When you frequently trim the vine, it will grow as a beautiful bush of flowers, but you have to give it support for it to twine and stand firm.
Water Requirements
Water the plant thoroughly only when the soil seems to dry out.
Soil Requirements
Mandevilla needs sufficient nutrients to grow and bloom. Therefore, you must use a soil mix with sand and organic materials and add fertilizers with high phosphorus every two weeks.
Sun Requirements
This plant needs a lot of sunlight but can tolerate partial shade. During winter, this plant can survive if you move it inside and place it near an area with indirect sunlight.
Passion Flower Vine
The passion flower vine has a unique flower with 5 to 10 petals on a rounded thread-like petals base. The colors can be blue, pink, red, or white, depending on the species. It’s easy to take care of the plant as long as it gets sufficient sun exposure.
Water Requirements
Give deep watering for a few weeks after planting. Lessen the watering frequency during the growing phase to avoid fungal infections.
Soil Requirements
The soil needs to be rich, moist, and have good water drainage. You can also add compost for better moisture retaining.
Sun Requirements
Place it under full sun or partial shade.
Where to Grow Tropical Vines in Your Garden
Most of the time, growing the plants in pots or containers will let you move them around to adjust them to the environment. You can also plant them directly on the ground in your garden, but some may die from frost during winter. In addition, placing vines near support like a wall or trellis will help them climb and grow healthy. Besides that, these tropical vines also love sunlight, so put them in a sunny area for consistent growth.
Conclusion
Tropical vines are not just meant for tropical climates. Even in colder weather, you can plant and grow them nicely when you understand and learn how to adjust their needs. As long as you can maintain an excellent warm and humid condition, these vines can survive throughout the year.
