Port St Johns Creeper

Podranea ricasoliana is native to the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, particularly the area around the town of Port St Johns on the Wild Coast, where it grows in coastal bush, river valleys, and forest margins.

• Named after the small town of Port St Johns on the Wild Coast of South Africa's Eastern Cape
• The genus name Podranea is an anagram of Pandorea, a related genus — the botanist Sprague rearranged the letters when he separated the two genera
• The species name ricasoliana honors the Ricasoli family, Italian nobility who were patrons of botany
• First collected by the botanist R. B. B. B. B. B. — actually, it was collected by various botanists working in the Eastern Cape in the late 19th century
• Has been cultivated in South African gardens since the early 20th century
• Now widely planted in Mediterranean-climate gardens worldwide, including California, southern Europe, and Australia
• The genus Podranea contains only 2 species, both native to southern Africa
• Sometimes confused with Pandorea jasminoides (Bower Vine), which has similar flowers but is from Australia
• Has naturalized in some warm-climate regions including parts of California, Australia, and the Mediterranean, though it is not generally considered a serious invasive species
• Well-suited to xeriscaping and water-wise gardening

Port St Johns Creeper is a vigorous semi-evergreen to evergreen woody vine climbing by tendrils to heights of 3–6 m, with a sprawling, scrambling habit.

Stems: Slender to moderately woody, green to brownish, producing tendrils at the nodes for climbing. Young stems are green and smooth. Stems can also root where they contact soil, allowing the vine to spread vegetatively.

Leaves: Pinnately compound with 5–9 (usually 7) ovate to lanceolate leaflets, each 3–6 cm long and 1.5–3 cm wide, bright green, with coarsely toothed margins and a pointed tip. The terminal leaflet may be modified into a tendil. Foliage is lush and tropical-looking.

Flowers: The beautiful feature — produced in showy, terminal panicles of 10–20 flowers. Individual flowers are trumpet-shaped (funnelform), 4–6 cm long and 3–5 cm across, with 5 spreading, slightly ruffled lobes. Color is a soft pinkish-lavender to rose-pink with darker pink to magenta veining, and a pale creamy-yellow throat. Flowers are lightly fragrant. Blooms from late spring through fall in flushes, with the heaviest bloom in early summer.

Fruit: Long, narrow, cylindrical capsules 15–25 cm long, containing numerous winged seeds. Capsules turn from green to brown and split open to release seeds.

Roots: Fibrous root system. Stems can root at nodes where they contact soil.

Port St Johns Creeper grows naturally in coastal bush, river valleys, and forest margins in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, where it scrambles through vegetation in warm, moist, frost-free conditions.

• Thrives in full sun to partial shade — best flowering in full sun
• Extremely drought-tolerant once established — one of the best vines for water-wise gardens
• Prefers well-drained soils but tolerates clay, sand, and poor soils
• Moderately salt-tolerant — suitable for coastal gardens
• The pinkish-lavender flowers attract butterflies, bees, and nectar-feeding birds
• Less aggressive than many other trumpet vines — does not produce problematic root suckers or massive underground tubers
• Can be kept in bounds with annual pruning
• Has naturalized in some warm regions but is not a serious invasive threat
• Resistant to deer browsing
• Provides good habitat and shelter for birds when grown on fences and pergolas
• Relatively pest and disease-free in good cultural conditions

Port St Johns Creeper is a tough, adaptable vine that thrives on minimal care once established.

Site Selection: Full sun to partial shade. More sun produces more flowers. Plant against a trellis, fence, pergola, arbor, or allow it to cascade over a bank or retaining wall. Excellent for coastal gardens.

Soil: Any well-drained soil. Tolerates clay, sand, and poor soils. pH 5.5–7.5. Prefers slightly acidic conditions but is very adaptable.

Planting: Plant container-grown vines in spring or fall. Space 1.5–2.5 m apart. Water during establishment.

Watering: Drought-tolerant once established — one of the best vines for low-water gardens. Water deeply but infrequently. Regular moisture during the first year speeds establishment.

Fertilization: Light feeding in spring with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer. Avoid excess nitrogen.

Pruning: Prune in late winter or early spring to control size and shape. Cut back by up to one-third. Can be pruned hard to rejuvenate. Remove dead or damaged stems.

Training: Guide young stems to the support. tendrils wrap around thin supports. Also effective as a sprawling ground cover on banks and slopes.

Hardiness: USDA Zones 9–11. Damaged below -4°C but usually regrows from the base. Root-hardy to about -7°C. Plant against a warm wall in marginal zones.

Propagation: By semi-hardwood cuttings in summer (very easy), layering, or seed.