Pandorea jasminoïdes Alba - Bower Vine

The Pandorea jasminoides 'white' (synonyms Bignonia or Tecoma jasminoides) is a beautiful form with white-pink flowers and a pink-purple throat of this true natural wonder, whose ground cultivation is reserved for warm regions. It is a vigorous cousin of our trumpet vines, with voluble stems, evergreen, and its long summer flowering is enhanced by lush foliage of a very vivid green. It blooms generously, displaying beautiful clusters of funnel-shaped flowers. While its cold resistance is very limited, this trumpet vine thrives in fertile and well-drained soil as long as it has the necessary sunlight to bloom well. It is also a superb vine to adorn the terrace, as it is easily grown in a container and can be stored during winter.

The Pandorea jasmin is another species of the Bignoniaceae family. It is native to Southeast Australia, specifically the sclerophyll forests in this region governed by a humid tropical climate. It is a vine with a woody stump and strong rambling branches, which can spontaneously wind around a support. It can reach 6 to 8 m (20 to 26ft) in all directions in good condition when planted in the ground. In a container, its growth will be more modest. The vegetation is destroyed at -0°C (32°F), but the well-established stump protected by a thick mulch can survive short freezes around -5°C (23°F): it is a plant suitable for ground cultivation in zones 9b, 10, and beyond.

The flowering takes place from May-June to September. The flowers bloom at the end of the year's shoots and in the axils of the leaves, grouped in ramified clusters. They have widely flared trumpet shapes, long and 6-8 cm (2-3in) wide. Each flower is composed of a tube widening into five rounded and undulated lobes. Their colour is a pinkish white, enhanced by a dark pink throat. This lightly scented flowering is nectar-bearing and attracts bees and bumblebees. The foliage remains evergreen in winter in appropriate climates. It comprises leaves divided into 5-7 large ovate to lanceolate leaflets of a light and glossy green with smooth edges. In case of frost, all above-ground parts of the plant are destroyed. But it will regrow from the stump later in spring.

The Pandorea jasminoides 'white' deserves a prominent place on the most sheltered facade of the house or, even better, in a large pot on the terrace during the beautiful season. It can be used in a thousand ways in a garden with a very mild climate, to cover a pergola, a slightly bare tree in autumn or winter, to cover a sheltered wall, an unsightly building, a south-facing facade. This exotic plant needs to be fully protected from frost during the first years of cultivation. That is its only requirement, as it thrives in deep and adequately prepared soil without excess limestone. In hot climates, occasional watering is necessary to support flowering.