Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Snail Vine
Snail Vine is a fast summer vine with curled, fragrant flowers shaped like snail shells. The blooms open white and turn lilac purple from spring into fall, and bees and butterflies visit them. It climbs a trellis, lattice or fence by tendrils and covers it fast. It comes trained on a stake.
Best for: fast summer cover on a fence, trellis or wall with some afternoon shade, and a fragrant vine near a patio.
It is extremely vigorous and covers a fence, wall or trellis fast in summer. Plant vines 6 to 8 feet apart along a long run.
The curled flowers open white and fade to lilac purple, with a sweet scent. Plant it near a patio or walk where you can enjoy them from spring into fall.
Bees and butterflies visit the flowers. It blooms from spring into fall with regular water.
It loses its leaves in winter and can die back in the cold before it returns in spring. It struggles on hot west walls. Without support it becomes a sprawling groundcover.
- Along a fence or trellis6-8 ft apart, center to center
- Wall cover6-8 ft apart, center to center
Water every 3 to 4 days for the first two weeks. Then stretch the gaps step by step, to about every 10 to 14 days by the second month.
Water about every 7 days in summer, every 10 days in spring and fall, and every 14 days in winter. It likes moist soil that still drains.
Put up a trellis, lattice or fence before it gets going. It climbs by tendrils and sprawls on the ground without support.
Cut it back hard in early spring before new growth, then feed it once with a light fertilizer rather than lawn fertilizer.
It drops its leaves in winter and can die back in the cold. Leave it until early spring, then cut back the dead growth.
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.
Why is it called snail vine?
The curled flower petals look like a snail shell. The blooms open white and fade to lilac purple.
How big does it get?
With support it reaches about 10 to 20 feet tall and wide, so plant vines 6 to 8 feet apart.
Does it need support?
Yes. It climbs by tendrils, so give it a trellis, lattice or fence. Without support it turns into a sprawling groundcover.
Are the flowers fragrant?
Yes. The flowers have a sweet scent from spring into fall, so plant it where you sit or walk.
How often should I water it?
Once rooted, water about every 7 days in summer, every 10 days in spring and fall, and every 14 days in winter. It likes moist soil that drains.
Does it need full sun?
It takes full sun to part shade, but it struggles on hot west walls. Some afternoon shade in summer helps.
What happens to it in winter?
It loses its leaves in winter, and a cold snap can kill it back to the roots. The roots take about 20°F, and it returns strongly when warm weather comes back.
When should I prune it?
Prune it in early spring, before new growth. A hard cut then reshapes it and keeps its size in check.
Does it need fertilizer?
Feed it once in spring before new growth, with a light fertilizer rather than lawn fertilizer. It is in the bean family and needs little more.
Snail Vine for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Snail Vine (Vigna caracalla) is a fast, bean-family vine grown for its fragrant, curled flowers. This page covers size, support, sun, water, winter dieback, pruning and spacing in the Valley.
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.
Snail vine in the Valley
Vigna caracalla is a vigorous bean-family vine from Central and South America. In the Valley it covers a fence or trellis fast in summer and drops its leaves in winter.
How far apart do you plant snail vine?
Plant vines about 6 to 8 feet apart, center to center, along a fence or trellis. The Spacing tab counts plants for your run.
How often do you water snail vine?
Once it is rooted, water it about every 7 days in summer, every 10 days in spring and fall, and every 14 days in winter.
Is snail vine fragrant?
Yes. The curled flowers have a sweet scent from spring into fall.
Snail vine in winter
It loses its leaves and can die back to the roots in a cold snap. The roots take about 20°F, and it regrows fast in spring.
When to prune snail vine
Cut it back hard in early spring, before new growth, to reshape it and keep its size in check.
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