How to Take Care of a Pandora Vine

Pandora vine is the common name for Pandorea jasminoides, a sun-loving plant from Australia that grows best in the hot southern climates of Florida, Texas and California. It is also known as the Bower plant. Whether growing up a trellis or tumbling across a high stone wall, its rich green leaves and bountiful vines add a tall airy quality to the garden. Best of all, the plant blooms 2 or 3 times each year. So get ready to enjoy the repeated color bursts and follow these steps to take care of a Pandora vine.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Handheld garden cultivator
• Compost
• Mulch
• Spray bottle
• Garlic
• Cayenne pepper
• Dish washing liquid
• Pruner

1. 
   Hand held cultivator

   Pull loose mulch and garden debris away from the Pandora vine stem. Loosen the soil around the base of the plant, digging into the dirt with the tines of a hand-held garden cultivator tool.

2. 
   compost

   Spread compost around the plant base to a depth of 1 inch. Use the cultivator to work compost into the soil across an area extending out a foot from the stem in all directions. Water the compost generously and allow the soil rest undisturbed for one week.

3. 
   Mulch

   Apply a 2-inch layer of mulch around the vine stem to retain moisture in the soil. Remove the mulch and add compost to the soil once in early spring and again in the fall after the second bloom of the season.

4. 
   Water sparingly

   Water the Bower plant, or Pandora vine, sparingly throughout the year. Soak at the base of the stem only after a week or two of dry weather.

5. 
   Make pepper spray

   Control aphids and pest insect by spraying the leaves thoroughly with pepper spray once or twice a month. Mix 1 tsp. cayenne pepper powder and 5 cloves crushed garlic into a pint of hot water. Cool the mixture then strain into a spray bottle with 1 tbsp. dish washing liquid. Spray both the leaves and the vines for complete coverage.

6. 
   Hand held pruner

   Cut away damaged or dead vines from the Bower plant in the late autumn. Discard the clippings in the trash to be removed from the property.

Tips & Warnings

• If compost is not readily available, a small amount of slow-release garden fertilizer may be mixed into the soil around the base of the vine.

Resources

• U of FL Cooperative Extension Service---Pandorea jasminoides