Clusters of vibrant pink flowers and bright green heart-shaped leaves make queen’s wreath vine a show-stopper, especially when in full bloom. Here’s how to plant and care for this Sonoran Desert native.
Queen’s wreath (Antigonon leptopus) is a dazzling vine native to Mexico and Central America. It’s a rampant grower and prolific bloomer with clusters of dainty flowers that are most commonly “Barbie” pink, but can also come in an array of other colors — light pink, hot pink, red, or white.
It blooms from spring through the first frost, attracting bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Its seeds attract seed-eating birds and mammals.
For a plant this beautiful, it’s surprisingly tough. It thrives in full sun and almost any soil, and needs little water once established.
Why I Like This Plant
- Show-stopping pink flowers with a long bloom period
- Lovely heart-shaped leaves
- Grows fast
- No thorns, not toxic, no pests
- Attracts birds, butterflies, and bees
Things to Watch Out For
Queen’s wreath is as vigorous as it is gorgeous. If left unattended, it can grow up to 40 feet! Once it matures, be prepared to remove a large tangle of dead vines every spring.
It can be messy since it drops its leaves every winter.
It reseeds prolifically. Birds usually eat most of the seeds but you still might have some volunteers. Fortunately, queen’s wreath generally behaves in the desert, but this is not the case everywhere. In wetter areas, it can become a nuisance and even invasive.
The roots grow large potato-like tubers that can be hard to remove if you ever change your mind about this plant.
While you can let queen’s wreath grow up a large tree, don’t try this with a small tree or shrub. It can be aggressive and easily overruns smaller plants.
This vine attracts bees like crazy, so it’s not a good choice if you are afraid of or allergic to bees.
Optimal Growing Conditions
If you’re thinking of adding a queen’s wreath to your garden, you need to find a suitable place that will keep it healthy and looking good… while minimizing maintenance for you.
Here are the key factors to keep in mind.
Temperature
Queen’s wreath should be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 8 – 11. It’s a heat-loving plant, but struggles in places where temperatures frequently exceed 115℉ (such as Phoenix).
It’s root-hardy down to 20℉ but dies back once the temperature drops below freezing. In frost-free locations, it stays evergreen.
Sun Exposure
Queen’s wreath can be grown in full sun to part shade, but it blooms most profusely in full sun. It can withstand reflected heat in all but the hottest climates.
Size and Growth Rate
Queen’s wreath is a large, robust vine. It can grow 8 to 10 feet per year once established, and can ultimately reach a size of 40 feet tall by 20 feet wide. A plant’s mature size depends on how it’s watered and pruned, and whether it dies back in the winter.
Pro Tip!
If your queen’s wreath is getting too vigorous,
reduce watering to control rampant growth.
Soil
Queen’s wreath grows well in any desert soil, from sandy to loam, provided it’s well-draining.
Oddly, it produces more flowers in poor soil. When grown in rich, moist soil, it will grow leaves at the expense of flowers.
Other Location Considerations
It has no thorns and is non-toxic, making it relatively user-friendly. However, since it attracts swarms of bees, it could be a problem if planted where people, children, or pets hang out.
It climbs by tendrils and readily grows up any nearby support structure such as a trellis, lattice, or fence to form a dense screen. It’s beautiful when rambling over the top of a ramada or pergola.
Queen’s Wreath:
The Essentials
| Common Name | Queen’s wreath |
| Scientific Name | Antigonon leptopus |
| Origin | Mexico, Central America |
| Plant Type | Semi-deciduous vine |
| USDA Zones | Zones 8 – 11 |
| Cold Hardiness | To 20℉ |
| Flower Color | Pink |
| Flower Season | Spring, summer, fall |
| Mature Size | 30-40′ high x 15-20′ wide |
| Growth Rate | Fast |
| Sun Tolerance | Full, part, reflected sun |
| Water Needs | Moderate |
| Pests & Diseases | None, resistant to root rot |
| Garden Friendly | No thorns, non-toxic |
| Wildlife | Attracts bees, birds, butterflies |
How to Plant
The rule of thumb when planting any vine in the desert is to dig a hole three times as wide as the root ball but no deeper. Amending the soil is not recommended. Counterintuitively, backfilling with the same native soil you just dug up helps your plant develop a stronger root system.
When to Plant
The best time to plant queen’s wreath is in the fall. This gives your vine three seasons to grow roots and get established before the following summer.
The second best time is in spring, the earlier the better. This still gives your plant time to get established before the intense heat of June arrives.
How to Care for Queen’s Wreath
Whether you’ve recently planted a queen’s wreath or have an existing plant in your yard, here’s how to take care of it to keep it healthy and looking its best.
How to Water New Plants
Once you’ve got your queen’s wreath in the ground, watering is your most immediate concern. Here’s a recommended watering schedule for new vines planted in the spring or fall.
| Weeks 1 & 2 | Every 3 – 4 days |
| Weeks 3 & 4 | Every 6 – 7 days |
| Weeks 5 & 6 | Every 7 – 10 days |
| Weeks 7 & 8 | Every 10 – 14 days |
After week 8, gradually revise your watering schedule, depending on the season.
How to Water Established Plants
Here’s a recommended watering schedule for the first year.
| Spring & Fall | Every 10 – 14 days |
| Summer | Every 7 – 10 days |
| Winter | Every 14 – 21 days* |
*You can skip watering in the winter if you have typical winter rains.
Queen’s wreath is very drought tolerant once established. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum recommends watering once a month after the second year to control rampant growth.
Should You Fertilize?
Since queen’s wreath is a prolific bloomer, it benefits from an application of fertilizer in the spring.
Queen’s wreath not flowering?
Excess water and fertilizer encourage
leaf growth at the expense of flowers.
How to Prune
If your queen’s wreath dies back in the winter, give it a hard prune in early spring. If it only incurs some minor frost damage, simply prune that off in the spring.
You can prune lightly or extensively as needed to control its size. Note that while the stems are initially herbaceous, they become woody with age.
Plant Lover Facts
Queen’s wreath goes by many other names, most commonly coral vine. It is also called Mexican creeper, confederate vine, chain of love, love vine, pink vine, rose of the mountain, and West Indian mountain rose.
It has naturalized around the world and can be found growing in large swaths of South America, Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and in southern parts of the US. It’s considered an invasive species in some tropical ecosystems, including Florida and Hawaii.
All parts of queen’s wreath — flowers, leaves, seeds, and tubers — are considered edible when cooked.
Have you grown this plant?
Was it a “hit” or a “miss” in your garden?
Please share your experience in the comments below!
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Author Bio
Deane Alban is the creator of Southwest Gardener. She is a science writer with a bachelor’s degree in botany from the University of South Florida. Gardening is her lifelong passion. She’s been gardening in Tucson for 15 years.
