This spring I
planted two silver lace vines in two different locations on the south side of
my house. Both plants wilted,
turned yellow and died. Do you
have any suggestions for a replacement?
Silver Lace vine (Polygonum aubertii) is hardy in zones 4
to 7 or 8 and grows well in full sun or shade. It also tolerates dry shade. It is a vigorous grower that can either take over an area or
be short lived in northern regions.
Extreme heat and drought may have led to this plant's demise. Make sure the plants are watered
thoroughly whenever the top few inches of soil are moist but crumble. Once established they are more drought
tolerant. Or try
growing trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera
sempervirens) or Dropmore scarlet honeysuckle. Both these plants have blue-green leaves and tubular orange
red flowers all summer long. Both
are susceptible to aphids but trumpet honeysuckle seems more resistant to
powdery mildew. Trumpet vine and
American bittersweet are larger vines that tolerate difficult growing
situations. You need a male and
female bittersweet plant to have the ornamental fruit. Trumpet vine and American bittersweet
are fast growers that will need regular pruning to keep them in bounds.