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This Australian native is easy to grow and has beautiful spikes of vibrant color to grace your garden trellis or arbor.
Hardenbergia comptoniana, an Australian native was named for Franziska, Countess von Hardenberg, sister of Baron Carl AA von Hugel, a 19th century Australian patron of botany.H. comptoniana belongs to the Papilionaceae family. According to Botanary, this family name is from the Latin papilio (butterfly), after the shape of the pea and bean flowers.
The name comptoniana relates to the Compton family of Newby Hall, Yorkshire, England.
Hardenbergia comptoniana is commonly referred to as Compton coral pea, native lilac vine, wild sarsaparilla and wild wisteria.
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Hardenbergia comptoniana Photo courtesy of Dave's Garden MemberDaveH
Hardenbergia comptoniana Photo courtesy of Dave's Garden Memberkennedyh
Hardenbergia violacea seed/seed pod Photo courtesy of Dave's Garden Memberkennedyh
Growth Habit:
H. comptoniana is a twining vine that grows to six feet high but may also reach as tall as twenty feet when allowed to grow without pruning. Being an evergreen plant, H. comptoniana lends interest to the garden throughout the year. Plant has dark green leaves and pea-like purple blooms. Bloom time is from late spring through late summer. Training the vine on a trellis will create a nice screen for a deck or patio. If preferred, it will also make a thick, tangled groundcover in areas where other plants do not do well.
Needs of Hardenbergia comptoniana:
H. comptoniana like warm temperatures and sunshine but if grown in extremely hot areas, the vine should have a little shade.
Water regularly while plant is young and then enjoy, even in drought prone areas. Once it is established, it can take quite a bit of dry weather if grown in light shade. Feed a well balanced fertilizer; I prefer compost tea, once every two to three months.
Pruning can be done after blooms fade. For a thicker vine, prune the vine only where it twines around itself. Closely watching growth will allow you to pull these limbs out and thread them into the trellis rather than having to trim them back.
It is important to note that this vine will scramble across the ground and wrap itself around other plants. Keep a watchful eye out for this tendency.
Propagation:
Propagation of Hardenbergia is easily accomplished by softwood and semi-hardwood cuttings in early spring. Cuttings should be rooted in a mix of 25% peat moss and 75% sand, kept moist and given plenty of light. Note that this mix can contain as little as 65% and as much as 80% sand with no notable difference in the process of rooting cuttings.
Seeds germinate easily but must be scarifiedbefore planting. An example of this can be found in Garden Terms by clicking the link above.
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Perhaps an even better known species of Hardenbergia is the Hardenbergia violacea.
Hardenbergia violacea is also a twining vine. There are cultivars which have more shrub-like growth habits such as the H. violacea ‘Mini Haha'. Blooms appear from winter through spring in a variety of colors including white, pink and various shades of purple. A few cultivars are listed below.
Cultivars of Hardenbergia violacea:
‘Alba' (white)
‘Blushing Princess' (shrub-like, mauve blooms)
‘Bushy Blue' (shrub-like, blue blooms)
‘Free-n-Easy' (white)
‘Happy Wanderer' (purple)
‘Mini Haha' (compact, shrub-like, purple blooms)
‘Pink Fizz' (pink)
‘Purple Falls' (purple)
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Hardenbergia violacea Photo courtesy of Dave's Garden member mgarr
Hardenbergia violacea Photo courtesy of Dave's Garden member ginger749
Hardenbergia violacea Photo courtesy of Dave's Garden member Lyndaadlng
Hardenbergia violacea Photo courtesy of Dave's Garden member Rich Swanner
Hardenbergia violacea Photo courtesy of Dave's Garden member Kell
These are beautiful plants, especially when trained to grow on trellises and pergolas and allowed to drape down over sitting areas of the garden.
As stated earlier, Hardenbergia prefer warm climates. Gardeners living in zones colder than zone 9 can still enjoy this lovely plant throughout the summer but it should be considered a tender perennial in those areas.
Happy Gardening Learn More:
A wonderful book about Australian native flora and how to use it in the landscape; Australian Native Plants Fifth Edition: Cultivation, Use in Landscaping and Propagation (5th Edition) by John W Wrigley and Murray Fagg ISBN: 9781876334901 ISBN-10: 1876334908
To see more photographs of Hardenbergia violacea, take a look at Dave's Garden Plant Files.
A source for seeds right here at Dave's Garden can be found in Plant Scout.
A quick online search for mail order sources brought up Heart Garden Friends, an Australian (only) source.
I'm a native Floridian...feet planted in the shifting sands of northwest FL. but my heart strings are tightly knotted to the hills of Tennessee.
I live my poodle, Minnie Pearl, Zsa Zsa the cat who runs the whole show and a new addition, Kitty Belle.
I'm a writer, gardener, quilter, cross stitcher, soapmaker and nature lover. Mother to 3 wonderful daughters & Nana to 6 perfect grandchildren.
I also write for Suite101 and was promoted to Feature Writer in the vegetable gardens section in 2008.
Posted by doclisette (from Dallas, TX) on November 3, 2008 at 1:21 PM:
can it possibly grow in the clay soil of central texas?
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Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on November 5, 2008 at 7:49 AM:
doclisette,
This vine will grow best in acid to neutral soil but can be grown in clay soil if it is worked to allow for good drainage. It should be watered deeply but not frequently (every 10-14 days). I would think cenral TX would be a good spot for this vine. Trim it back after it blooms for more blooms the following season. Once it is established, you should have no trouble keeping it growing beautifully.
J
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Subject: Can it grow in South Florida?
Posted by FloridaFlwrGirl (from Fort Lauderdale, FL) on November 3, 2008 at 11:16 AM:
What a gorgeous vine! We live in Ft Lauderdale and are looking for a special flowering vine to plant around our pergola. anyone tried it in South Florida? thanks!
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Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on November 5, 2008 at 7:52 AM:
FloridaFlwrGirl,
My best guess would be YES! It should grow in Ft Laud. just fine.
If you do try it for a pergola, look for the cultivar 'Happy Wanderer' because it was developed to climb.
It'll be much less work while training. :-)
J
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Subject: Good information, thanks
Posted by katiebear (from mulege
(Mexico)) on November 2, 2008 at 11:32 AM:
Thank you for an informative article. This might do well in the subtropics where I am.
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on November 5, 2008 at 7:54 AM:
Thanks for sharing the link, Katiebear. :-)
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Subject: Is it invasive?
Posted by Hemophobic (from Kannapolis, NC) on November 2, 2008 at 10:25 AM:
Is this wisteria invasive? Wild wisteria sounds daunting.
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Posted by ecrane3 (from Dublin, CA) on November 2, 2008 at 10:47 AM:
If people call it wisteria it's because it has purple dangly flowers and looks a bit like wisteria, nothing to do with how it grows. It's not nearly that aggressive. Plus it's not hardy in your zone, so I don't think you'd have to worry about it going very far.
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Posted by Tuckermom (from San Mateo, CA) on November 3, 2008 at 1:47 PM:
Anyone know if deer find it tasty? TIA for the reply.
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Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on November 5, 2008 at 7:35 AM:
Hemophobic,
This isn't like our native or the Chinese wisteria that takes over the woods here in the US. Like ecrane said, the blooms are similar.
You could grow it in pots or try to 'push' the zone by creating a microclimate in your yard and using plenty of mulch in the winter.
That said, I don't think you'd have to worry about it being invasive in your area. Also, after it flowers, it should be cut back and new growth follows which will give a thicker bloom the following season. So, cut it back after blooming and look forward to next seasons blooms. :-)
J
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Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on November 5, 2008 at 7:37 AM:
Posted by Hemophobic (from Kannapolis, NC) on November 5, 2008 at 8:46 AM:
Libellule: Thanks for the reassurance. Anything here with wisteria in the name makes me nervous! I'm pulling out oenethera by the handfuls after learning too late how invasive it is. Pretty but invasive.
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Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on November 5, 2008 at 9:44 AM:
:-)
I know what you mean about wisteria. It chokes the pine trees in the woods to death around here. Climbs everything.
J
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Subject: Thanks
Posted by jannich (from Red Level, AL) on November 2, 2008 at 10:18 AM:
For a great article.I grew this pretty vine years ago and have been looking for another for along time.It's nice to know theres a seed source for it.
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Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on November 5, 2008 at 7:55 AM:
Jannich,
It's nice to know you grew it in your zone. :-)
J
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Subject: The Happy Wanderer ...Down Under
Posted by chrissy100 (from Sydney
(Australia)) on November 1, 2008 at 9:09 PM:
I had no idea there were so many different kinds ...I love it. Here in the rural areas they pop up everywhere (a present from bird droppings) we don't do anything to them ...just let romp as they are a gentle climber flowering here in Winter ...we call them "the happy wanderer" because they make you smile as they wander here and there in the Aussie Bushland and in the rural areas.
Thankyou for your article ... a lovely Sunday morning read.
chrissy
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Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on November 2, 2008 at 4:18 AM:
Chrissy,
I am glad to know you enjoyed the article and what a nice surprise to hear from someone that enjoys this vine in its native land!
I think it is just beautiful and I can't anyone imagine pulling it up.
Jackie
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Posted by chrissy100 (from Sydney
(Australia)) on November 2, 2008 at 9:05 AM:
Here is a "present" in my son's garden ...up it popped from under the gum leaves.
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Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on November 5, 2008 at 7:13 AM:
