Looking lovely at JLBG now is the purportedly tropical vine, Combretum indicum. Native from a wide range of Southeast Asia, Rangoon creeper is a woody vine that’s shockingly winter hardy, as our plants sailed through last years 11 degrees F–despite it usually being listed as a Zone 10/11 plant.
The flowers usually open white, age to pink and then red, but this year, they have opened red–we’re not sure why. The tubular flowers are a favorite of long-tongued moths. It has grown much slower for us than it would in warmer climates, since our plant dies to the ground each winter. This year, our three year old plant has already returned to 8′ in height.
