“Two Year Wait”, a copyrighted post, was written for my WordPress blog called Always Growing by Jan in Covington, Louisiana
When you get a new plant, don’t you hate having to wait for it to flower? I know I tend to be impatient, but two years seems like a long time to wait for a vine to bloom. Now, it is not all Mother Nature’s fault. In the fall of 2007, my mother started rooting me a piece of her white mandevilla vine (Mandevilla sanderie). She kept it through the winter, and gave it to me in early spring. I waited to plant it until I thought the ground had warmed up enough in 2008 since this is a tender vine. I also waited to plant it because I didn’t have a place to put it. Sound familiar?
Well, in late spring of 2008, I planted it at the base of an arbor that has a young white Lady Banksia rose growing on it. The mandevilla vine started growing, and then wham! Cut down when dear hubby was weed eating around the perimeter of the garden. I don’t know how he did that since the vine was behind bricks, but nevertheless, the new vine was reduced to about three inches tall. Thankfully, it didn’t die, but it took all summer for it to recover. Since this is not winter hardy in our area, when the cold temperatures started in early December, I dug it up and put in in a container that could be protected when the freezes came. By early spring, I had forgotten all about it until one day, I spied a vine growing at the base of a parlor palm tree. Sure enough, there was the little vine starting to grow. This time, I planted it in the garden where it would be safe from weedeaters and yard tools. It settled in fine, and quickly blended in with all the other plants until now.
My first flower. Finally a bloom. I know I will have to dig it up again this fall, but for now, I think it is on its way to blooming until the cold weather arrives. This vine is supposed to come back from the roots in my zone 8, but I don’t want to take the chance of losing it. I love white flowers, and this one is special because Mom took the trouble to root a cutting and give it to me. Worth the two year wait.
Always Growing 
Randy said,
August 4, 2009 at 11:41 am
Now THAT’S patience! Beautiful bloom. 🙂
Jan said,
August 6, 2009 at 7:31 pm
Randy, I will be so happy when it is bigger and has a ton of blooms. It should look so nice next to the clematis.
ryublade said,
August 4, 2009 at 4:01 pm
I have the pink mandeville growing on an arbor near my bedroom. Last winter, I left it outside and didn’t do a thing to it except trim it up a little when spring came around. It’s growing well this summer but I really love your white one. I’ve never seen it in white before. So unusual and beautiful for the mandeville. Patience is a virtue, especially in gardening.
Jan said,
August 6, 2009 at 7:34 pm
I remember when the pink first started showing up here years ago. It seemed everybody had one. I think those are lovely, but never grew one because I didn’t have any where that was sunny enough for a vine. I do love the white one, but my favorite is the dark red. I had one last year, but it didn’t make it through our winter. I think it was not because I didn’t protect it, but more because it seemed a little weak. I don’t think I grew it in enough sun during the summer.
Carol, May Dreams Gardens said,
August 4, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Two years isn’t that long to wait for a flower is it? And I’m surprised that there are plants that even you have to dig up to winter over inside!
Jan said,
August 6, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Carol, I guess I am an impatient person. I want things to bloom now. While we do have mild winters here, there is the occasional hard freeze. They rarely last long, and most plants will return from the roots, but there are still some that can’t take a freeze at all. Also, our winter temperatures tend to go up and down. A warm spell followed by a sudden freeze will damage more plants than a extended cold weather because the warm up will often make plants break dormancy too early.
Tatyana said,
August 5, 2009 at 6:29 am
Congratulations Jan! It’s a beauty!
Jan said,
August 6, 2009 at 7:40 pm
It is, isn’t it Tatyana. I can’t wait for mine to grow as large as my mom’s.
linnie said,
August 5, 2009 at 8:51 am
Beautiful flower. I love white in the garden, so peaceful and serene.
Linnie in Destrehan, LA 8/5/09
Jan said,
August 6, 2009 at 7:42 pm
In general, white flowers are my favorite, Linnie. I love a green and white color combination because it makes things feel cooler when the temperature rises.
Jackie@Ellie Mae's Cottage said,
August 5, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Gardening definitely takes a lot of patience… Seems like the best plants require a lot of waiting… like the hydrangea I’ve had 2 years but hasn’t bloomed yet and the hollyhocks. Ouch to your hubby for weed wacking those vines. -Jackie
Jan said,
August 6, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Jackie, you are right. I think everyone has had plants that make them wait for blooms. When a plant only blooms once a year, it is a big disappoinment not to have flowers show up. I know I tend to be impatient when it comes to waiting for plants to grow big enough to bloom, too.