I am in Scarborough with clay soil. Planted New Dutchman’s Pipe this Spring and new leaves are shrivelling up and edges looking rusted as it is growing. The plant wasn’t looking in perfect health even when purchased, but it was the best we could find after searching for one at many nurseries. I don’t see any insects. Getting both sun and shade and enough water. Wondering what the problem is and what we can do. Would appreciate your help.
The basic requirements for successfully growing this lovely native vine are listed below.
- Full sun to partial shade location (ideally 6-8 hours of sun daily).
- Moist well drained organic rich soil with a neutral to acidic pH.
- Addition of organic material such as compost or well rotted manure is advised annually.
- Do not let soil dry out – water the soil and not the foliage so as to avoid any soil born fungal problems from water splash.
This plant is hardy and relatively easy care with no major disease or pest issues. The Pipe Vine Swallowtail butterfly will use the plant to lay her eggs on and also during the larval stage of development with caterpillars eating the leaves but as this is a fairly rare insect in these parts, I think this is a long shot.
The only issue I see with your situation is that you are dealing with clay soil that does not drain water away quickly as clay particles tend to clump together. Your vine may be getting waterlogged with the roots becoming over saturated, especially with all the rain we’ve had recently. I would suggest you dig in as much organic matter (see above) as possible to the base of the vine and then topdress annually.
Hope this helps.
July 31, 2021