Can a plant have flowers so stunning that they may be best linked to royalty? Can we gardening plebeians be allowed to cultivate a plant that bears the name “Queen”? The answer is “yes” to one and all! No flowering vine could be better named than the queen’s wreath or Petrea volubilis. This magnificent flowering vine is in flower now. If you have one, enjoy! For the rest of us, why should we be envious?
The queen’s wreath is also called “sandpaper vine” due to its truly sandpapery textured leaves. This evergreen to deciduous vine is native to Mexico and south into tropical America and the Caribbean and can grow up to forty feet tall unpruned. Best maintained as a vine-like shrub, a vine trained on an arbor, or even a free-standing (with support) small tree form, this plant will flower on and off from February to June. We have one blooming right now in our Demonstration Garden off of Harbor View Road – you should plan to make a visit. The distinctive purple flowers are clustered on arching racemes up to fourteen inches long. The individual flowers are made up of a center corolla nestled in a calyx. Both are purple blue in color and even after the center corolla falls off, the calyx remains and maintains its attractive appearance. For something different, there is a rare white cultivar with the same growth habits called ‘Albiflora’. The queen’s wreath is even listed as a Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ recommended plant and is “not a problem species (un-documented)” in regard to invasiveness as per the UF/IFAS Assessment of Non-Native Plants in Florida’s Natural Areas.
Ultimately, “plan before you plant” as you will want to decide how to manage your queen’s wreath. Our Extension specimen is supported on a wooden pergola which nicely displays its beauty. Maintaining this plant as a shrub or small, multi-branched tree will require some pruning. Also consider using it along a fence, across a gate, in a large container, a gazebo, or even free form growing up a tree. No matter how you groom your queen’s wreath vine, plant it in full sun to part shade for best flowering. Once established, consider this vine to be medium in drought tolerance, but otherwise very carefree, low maintenance, and hardy for our area.
While I have seen this vine for sale at the larger garden centers on occasion, you could also look for one at the local family-run garden centers or even mail-order on-line sources. If you have a friend with one, the queen’s wreath can be propagated by cuttings or air layering.
This is a truly royal flowering vine – both charming and sustainable. But you do not need to be royalty to enjoy this amazingly beautiful flowering vine in your own landscape! For more information on all types of flowering vines suitable for our area, or to ask a question, you can also call the Master Gardener Volunteer Helpdesk on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1 to 4 pm at 764-4340 for gardening help and insight into their role as an Extension volunteer. Ralph E. Mitchell is the Director/Horticulture Agent for UF/IFAS Extension Charlotte County. He can be reached at 941-764-4344 or ralph.mitchell@charlottecountyfl.gov. Connect with us on social media. Like us on Facebook @CharlotteCountyExtension and follow us on Instagram @ifascharco.
Resources:
Brown, S. H. (2013) Petrea volubilis. The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS – Lee County.
Brown, S. H. (2011) Queen’s Wreath | Petrea volubilis [Video] Stephen Brown | Lee County Extension. The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS – Lee County.
Gardening Solutions (2024) Queen’s Wreath. The University of Florida Extension Service.
Gilman, E. F. (1999) Petrea volubilis. The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.
The Florida-Friendly Landscaping Guide to Plant Selection & Landscape Design (2022) The University of Florida Extension Services, IFAS.
UF/IFAS Assessment of Non-Native Plants in Florida’s Natural Areas. (2023). The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.
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