Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Lilac Vine Espalier
Lilac Vine Espalier is Hardenbergia started flat, so its twining stems spread across a wall or fence instead of piling up. In late winter and early spring it drapes the wall in cascading clusters of small purple flowers. Its dense, leathery leaves stay on all year and turn a bare wall into a green screen. Bees and butterflies visit the flowers.
Best for: an evergreen cover for an east or north wall, late-winter purple color, and screening a fence in a narrow bed.
Its dense leaves stay green all year, so a trained plant hides a block wall or fence in every season. One plant covers about 10 feet of width.
Clusters of small purple flowers open in late winter and early spring and last about a month. Bees and butterflies come to them.
It does best with some afternoon shade in the Valley, which makes it a good fit for an east or north wall. Keep it off hot west walls.
Hot west walls with reflected heat are hard on it. Leaves are damaged below about 25°F, so cover it on the hardest freeze nights.
- Along a wall or fence6-8 ft apart
- Long screen6 ft apart
Set wires or a trellis a few inches off the wall, then guide the twining stems along it. Tie them in with soft tape, and cut back stems that grow straight out.
Water every 3 to 4 days at first, easing to every 10 to 14 days by the second month. Once rooted, water about every 2 weeks in summer and every 4 weeks in winter.
Trim it right after the spring bloom to keep it flat and in bounds. An overgrown plant can be cut back hard in early spring and retrained.
Give it afternoon shade and keep it off hot west walls. Cover it to the ground on nights below about 25°F.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How do I train lilac vine flat on a wall?
It twines, so give it wires or a trellis set a few inches off the wall. Guide new stems along the support and tie them in with soft plant tape.
When does it bloom?
It blooms in late winter and early spring, with cascading purple clusters that last about a month.
Which wall should I plant it on?
An east or north wall is best, since it likes afternoon shade in the Valley. Avoid a hot west wall.
How big does it get?
On a support it reaches about 10 to 15 feet tall and about 10 feet wide. Prune it to keep it inside the space you want covered.
How often should I water it?
Once rooted, water about every 2 weeks in summer, every 3 weeks in spring and fall, and every 4 weeks in winter.
When should I prune it?
Prune right after the spring bloom. To renew an overgrown plant, cut it back hard in early spring, then retrain the new stems flat.
How cold hardy is it?
The roots take about 20°F, and leaves are damaged below about 25°F. Cover it with frost cloth to the ground on the hardest freeze nights.
Does it need fertilizer?
Feed it once in spring with a light fertilizer. Too much feeding gives more leaves and fewer flowers.
Is lilac vine evergreen?
Yes. It keeps its dark green leaves all year, so the wall stays covered in every season.
Is lilac vine messy?
No. It drops very little litter, so it works on a wall near a patio or pool.
Lilac Vine Espalier for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Lilac Vine Espalier is Hardenbergia violacea started flat for a wall or fence, with purple flowers in late winter and spring. Below: training, sun, water, pruning, size and cold.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
Lilac vine espalier for a wall
Guide the twining stems along wires or a trellis set a few inches off the wall, and tie them in as they grow.
Best wall for Hardenbergia in Phoenix
An east or north wall is best, since it likes afternoon shade and struggles on hot west walls.
When does lilac vine bloom?
In late winter and early spring, with purple clusters that last about a month.
Watering lilac vine
About every 7 days in summer, 10 days in spring and fall and 14 days in winter once rooted.
Pruning lilac vine
Right after the spring bloom, with a hard renewal cut in early spring when it gets overgrown.
Is lilac vine frost hardy?
The roots take about 20°F, and the leaves are damaged below about 25°F.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.