Vine
Queen's Wreath
Antigonon leptopus · Polygonaceae
Also called: Coral Vine, Mexican Creeper, Confederate Vine, San Miguelito Vine, Coralita
Queen's Wreath (Antigonon leptopus) is a low-water vine well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It thrives in full sun for best bloom, with a fast growth rate.
Queen's Wreath at a glance
- Water use
- Low (established)
- Sun
- Full sun for best bloom; tolerates light shade.
- Mature size
- 20-40 ft H x 10-20 ft W (long, climbing/sprawling stems with tendrils)
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Bloom
- Bright rose-pink to coral-pink (a white-flowered form exists), Late spring through fall, peaking in the warm summer months
- Cold hardiness
- Hardy to about 25 F; frost-deciduous, top growth dies back with frost (low to upper 20s) but resprouts vigorously from the tuberous roots, which survive to roughly the upper teens in protected sites (USDA zones 8b/9-11).
- Soil
- Adaptable; grows in poor, rocky, alkaline desert soils with good drainage. Tolerates Tucson's native soils well.
- Native range
- Mexico (including Sonora) and Central America; native just south of the Sonoran Desert region but not native to Arizona.
- Best used as
- Arbor, ramada, and trellis cover, Fast summer screening and shade, Fence cover, Pollinator garden vine
- Wildlife
- Outstanding bee plant (excellent honeybee and native-bee forage); also attracts butterflies and other pollinators.
- Toxicity
- Tubers are reported to be edible and the plant is not considered toxic to people or pets.
How to grow Queen's Wreath in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Drought-tolerant once established thanks to its storage tubers; water deeply but infrequently in summer for lush growth and heavy bloom, and little to none in winter dormancy.
Fertilizer & nutrients
Light feeders; a single application of balanced fertilizer in spring is generally sufficient. Avoid over-fertilizing, which favors foliage over flowers.
Pruning & care
Cut back hard to near the ground after frost kills the top growth, or in late winter, to renew the plant; thin during the season to control its aggressive spread.
Notes
Climbs by tendrils and can spread aggressively from seed and tubers; can be weedy/invasive in frost-free climates, but Tucson's winter frost keeps it in check. Dies back each winter and returns each spring, making it ideal for seasonal warm-weather coverage.
Sources: AMWUA Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert; University of Arizona Cooperative Extension; Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; Tohono Chul / Tucson Botanical Gardens