Cardinal Climber from seed along Texas Gulf Coast

Exactly one year ago I did a video on Cardinal Climber and I thought it would be good to do an update for 2023. Here is the 2022 video which shows a very lush cardinal climber vine in our backyard: • Excited for the hummin...
This year has been a tough summer for most of Texas. We have had triple digit temperatures since mid-June with almost no rain south of Houston. The Cardinal Climber vine is not as lush this year, but it has been growing and putting out a few flowers. I am curious to see if it will be stunted in its normal flowering ability this year. This vine is a standout during hummingbird migration which starts late August - beginning of September.
Cardinal Climber vine (Ipomoea x multifida) is grown from seed and it is a hybrid cross between red cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit) and red morning glory (Ipomoea coccinea).

[@johnraypatterson6141]

They are gorgeous ❤I just ordered some after watching your video. I'm in southeast Tennessee I have red morning glorys, bee balm and scarlet sage growing plus wild Japanese honeysuckle. I post videos on my channel. I love birds ❤thank you for the tips on Cardinal climbers

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

Hello from Texas to Tennessee! 😊 When you get your seeds be sure to soak them in water for at least 24 hours so they pop up in 2-3 days after planting. Otherwise it can take 2 weeks or more. I bet your pollinators love the bee balm!

[@RoySATX]

I live in San Antonio, Cardinal Climbers for me always stress out and look ratty by mid-July, the past couple years nearly dying back altogether. We've had not just abnormally high heat but an obscene drought that I'm thinking may never end.

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

Hello! The cardinal climber is definitely a vine that needs water. Over here by Houston we usually get a good amount of rain, but there are times I need to supplement with water (like during last summer's drought). Y'all have been hit by drought so hard in the SA and central Texas areas. 😥

[@wesleyhackney]

Thanks for sharing this video. I remember your Cardinal climbers from last year. I grew up in north Texas and lived a few years on the coast in lake Jackson TX so I know how brutal the heat can be especially late July through August. Now living in Pensacola FL we too have had excessive heat index of 105-110 since early July and still do not it’s 107 today heat index. I did not plant cardinal climber this year as I was always disappointed how late it started putting on blooms here normally not until august but during fall it was profilic with flowers. I really was looking forward to something if o planted in late March would be blooming by early June. Perhaps the high humidity here impacted its performance. Think I’ll try it again next year but maybe supplement more water and see what happens. By the way how are your Mexican sunflowers doing in all this heat?

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

You are spot on with how the Cardinal Climber blooms! I got frustrated with it too because it blooms in late August for us. But, then when I watched the hummingbirds absolutely go nuts for the blooms during the fall HB migration, I decided I was going to plant it each year. It is great to have a prolific bloomer in the fall for us. Last year it bloomed up until we froze in December (because we had such a warm fall). I also like how the vines look on the trellis, but this year it is more sparse because of the excessive heat we have had for such a prolonged period of time. (The Cardinal Climber does much better with regular water). The Mexican sunflowers are wonderful right now! I should know better that when the "specs" say something will grow a certain height, I need to tack on extra length because of our growing conditions. They are at least 8 feet tall right now. I am going to try your suggestion of the dwarf variety for next year! Thanks again for the tip! 😀👍

[@wesleyhackney]

@@ButterfliesNBirds I don’t know if it was summer heat or something I did but I was not impressed with the number of blooms I got on the dwarf Mexican sunflower. Plus it took until late July to bloom. Park seed in their catalog said it had more blooms but I was disappointed. Who knows it might have been the heat. I’m probably going to plant cardinal climber next season as it is nice to have something blooming in fall. I planted more mandevilla this year and they seem to thrive in this hot weather and I enjoy the deep red blooms it’s a great vining plant

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

Thanks for the reply and letting me know how the dwarf Tithonia is doing in your yard. I love the flower production on the regular "Torch" variety, but the height is a little too tall for my taste. I can sure see it though, and spot all the butterflies on the blooms. I want a prolific bloomer, but shorter ... lol ... 😁 If you do grow Cardinal Climber next year I would recommend giving it supplemental water. Ours does so much better with regular watering.

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

I only have one Mandevilla, but I really do like it. I agree that it is a great vining plant.

[@RoySATX]

@@ButterfliesNBirds Mandevilla, another of the plants I can no longer grow here in Central Texas, even our cactus are begging for a sip of water and a bit of shade. 🔥🌵☀

[@deborahwade2641]

I have some plants that are performing differently also. Here in middle Georgia we've had real feels of 111 degrees. Do you think echinacea seeds could be soaked before planting? Your cardinal vine still looks lovely. 😊

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

Thank you! 😊 For fall planting of echinacea seeds down in the south, they do need that cold stratification. Recommendations say to plant before the winter rains down here. I haven't started echinacea from seed (yet), so I can't give any advice on the process to get the best germination rate. I have had my coneflowers reseed themselves (but that doesn't count!😄).