Description
The slender, trailing stems of white-veined Dutchman’s pipe (Aristolochia fimbriata) reach about 2 feet long, with kidney-shaped, green leaves that are heavily veined with silver-white. Small, fringed, yellow flowers with dark interior markings appear through the summer. Where it is hardy, this cool plant makes an interesting an unusual groundcover; in any climate, it looks terrific cascading out of a hanging basket or over the edge of a pot, planter, or windowbox. It is also a host plant for the larvae (caterpillars) of pipevine swallowtail butterflies. Give white-veined Dutchman’s pipe a site in partial shade. It will flower the first year from seed, so you can grow it as an annual anywhere, or bring it indoors for the winter in cold-winter areas.
White-veined Dutchman’s pipe is reported to be a hardy perennial in Zones 7 or 8 to 10. It hasn’t been overwintering outdoors in my Zone 6/7 garden, but it does self-sow here a bit. The plants I keep in containers come into my unheated basement after the first fall frost. I let them go almost completely dry while they are in the dark, then take them back outside in early to mid spring and begin watering again. These overwintered plants flower heavily for me in June and July. I cut them back to an inch or two above the roots in early August, and they quickly produce a flush of fresh leaves that looks good through late August through fall.
Collected in August and September 2023. At least 15 seeds. Shipping to US addresses only.
Please read the germination information as well before ordering.
Julie Vance (verified owner) –
Deanna (verified owner) –
Patience, patience, patience! I wintersowed these not in a milk jug, but in a standard 6″ pot covered by ventilated plastic. This set up allowed me to better prevent fungal growth as temps warmed, since milk jugs can create too much heat once summer arrives. Nothing, nothing, nothing happened while everything else was germinating. Then suddenly in EARLY JULY I was rewarded with my first four seedlings! Such excitement…followed by the sight of an exiting slug two hours later and all four seedlings devoured. Now the pot is in a slug-proof area, and I have more seedlings emerging. I’m glad I saw those four or I might have thought I had gotten no germination. I have never had seedlings germinate this late, so patience is rewarded.
William Larson (verified owner) –
Very successful germination with these sown indoors in late spring and germinated under lights, and also in the greenhouse; it takes a few weeks for the first seedlings to emerge.
Helen Breland (verified owner) –