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Asarina vine offers soft backdrop

17.10.09

There is a vine that may go unnoticed, however, especially since you probably won't find it in the vine section of your local nursery. It's Asarina scandens, sometimes known as climbing snapdragon or figwort.

This delicate, some say sophisticated, tender deciduous perennial hails from Mexico and has become a favorite of gardeners looking for a climber that offers a softer backdrop of foliage. A. scandens features masses of 2-inch, kidney-shaped light green leaves that first appear in mid- to late summer. Shortly afterward, 1 1/2- to 2-inch trumpet-shaped flowers in colors ranging from lavender to deep purple to pure white begin sprouting from the tips of slender stems. The purple varieties feature attractive white throats.

Asarina varieties are fast growing and have one of the longest bloom seasons of any vine, flowering until Christmas if the weather remains mild enough. And unlike most vines, they can be grown from a planter or in a modest-size garden plot. They're expert at scrambling up a trellis or a fence and are showy enough to use in a featured spot in your garden. Have a planting box where you want something to go down, not up? Asarina will also spill over and make an attractive cascading plant. Asarinas are a good choice when you want a modest-size climber (to 8 feet) and one that won't overwhelm nearby plantings. Look for the soft lavender hues of A. 'Sky Blue,' the deeper purple of A. 'Joan Lorraine' or the shocking white of A. 'Snow White.'

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

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