Corkscrew Buds

Corkscrew Vine Flower Bud


The corkscrews are coming! My corkscrew vine (Vigna caracalla) has buds. I can't believe that I will be getting actual blooms from this vine. I really lost hope as all year it has been growing and taking over my balcony but no sign of any flowers. While spraying (Stupid mites and white flies) I saw buds, everywhere!f I've been so disattached to my balcony garden that I didn't notice. It's been so disappointing to go out and water all the wilting plants that are infested with bad bad bugs that I can't get rid of. Now that the weather is cooling I hope my plants can get healthy again and fight off the bugs. It's so hard to keep them all properly watered when I am gone for 8 hours. I deeply water them all before I go to work but it does not help them all. The corkscrew has been doing really well but it is starting to get mites and the white flies love to hide behind all those leaves. I can't wait to see and smell these blooms. They better come soon before the bugs take over.

Reaching For the Sky

Dr Ruppel Clematis

My vines have been reaching for the sky and sun. Besides the reason that vines are my favorite I have been loving seeing them grow. They grow fast once they get going. Every day I can expect to see some new growth or some higher twining up. My Dr Ruppel Clematis has had more new growth very quickly. One day I look at it and say, "Man no growth?". The next day I say, "Wow when did that grow so much".


Corkscrew Vine climbing up and up.

The Corkscrew Vine has been working it's way up my balcony rails. Every day I have been twirling the vines around the bars. One vine has been going at it for about a week or more now. The other two it was a hassle to get them to hang on to the bar and not something else. The left vine wanted to twine around the grape hyacinths. The right vine wanted to twine around its self and center vine. Now I got all three on their bars going up. Eventually I remember that Vines like to twirl counter clock wise. After remember that nice piece of information the right vine finally stuck to where to the bar. Once they reach the top I'll start twining them to the left.

Clematis Surprise and Reaching Corkscrew

Dr. Ruppel Clematis

Peek-a-Boo! Yesterday when I was examining my clematis for new growth this is what I found. I was wondering why nothing new had grown recently. It had been growing just not where I could see. The clematis is coming out from the dianthus pinnochio mix. It was a nice surprise to find and assures me it likes it's home.


Corkscrew Vine reaching up

I'm been mesmerized with my corkscrew vine. It is finally starting to look like a vine now. The vines keep on trying to twirl into each other and I keep separating them and trying to stick them onto the bars. They got a little frost bitten on the weekend. The leaves got a bit tattered and the tips of the vines. It didn't effect them because they are still happily growing up and up. I do hope they continue this way. The corkscrew vine is my balcony garden weakling. It's been hard to get this one healthy after a battle with some sickness. My other corkscrew vines are having issues and don't seem to want to green up. They are pale and I'm not sure what is wrong. Maybe I just need to fertilize them. I'll just let nature take it's course like it did with these now green and growing ones.

Plants with Problems

Corkscrew Vine

It seems I will never have luck with the Corkscrew Vine. I was so very happy with how my seedlings had grown compared to the other time I had tried. Now the leaves are turning pale and there are brown spots on them. I really need to learn more about plant illnesses so I can figure out what is wrong. At first I was thinking my Corkscrew Vine wasn't receive enough light being inside. I potted it in a bigger pot last week and the leaves have gotten pale. When I compare it to the other Corkscrew Vine I have growing their leaves are way to yellow. I'm still so very surprised my previous Corkscrew Vine plant lived through the short winter and whatever illness it had. Now I have my sick Corkscrew Vine outside for it to decide what it wants to do with it's self. Hopefully it will make a comeback like the other one did.


My other Corkscrew Vine. These were sick last year and completely lost all their leaves. I potted them in a new pot with more perlite to better aerate the soil. Now they are growing and looking rather healthy.


My Minerva Amaryllis still not blooming.

Now this isn't really a sick plant but just one that refuses to bloom for me. My Minerva Amaryllis I got and planted way back in November. Other bloggers have already had blooms and mine has not. All I have are leaves and a baby amaryllis that magically grew. It was quite for a while and nothing happened. Then last week a new leaf for both momma and baby appeared. But blooms where are they? I think I may be missing something that I'm supposed to do. Or my amaryllis just hates me and wants to be leaves with no flowers.