Pandorea pandorana ‘Ruby Belle’

Wonga Wonga Vine 'Ruby Belle' (Pandorea pandorana 'Ruby Belle') is the Australian native climber to reach for when a bare fence needs covering quickly and permanently. Given wires or a trellis it climbs to around 5m and spreads about 2m, twining its way up rather than gripping the surface, and it stays evergreen the whole time. In spring it hangs clusters of small tubular bells in ruby red and deep pink, and honeyeaters work through them.

Why you'll love it

• Fast, evergreen cover. A vigorous grower that holds its leaves year round, so a fence screened in summer is still screened in July.
• A native that feeds birds. The tubular flowers are shaped for honeyeaters, and a mature vine brings them into a suburban yard.
• Twining, not clinging. It winds around wires and lattice instead of sticking to walls, so it will not mark render or lift paint.
• Tough once established. Drought tolerant and salt tolerant, and low maintenance beyond one prune a year.

Where it works best

Fence and trellis screening. Plant 1.5m apart along a fence or trellis for full cover. Height depends entirely on the support you give it, so run horizontal wires at 400mm spacings before planting rather than after.

Balconies and courtyards. A single vine in a large pot with a frame gives privacy in a small footprint. Keep the pot at least 500mm wide.

Feature planting. Over an arch or a pergola it becomes a flowering roof, and the twining habit means it follows the structure rather than wandering off it.

Growing Wonga Wonga Vine in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering, though it covers in part shade with fewer blooms. It suits tropical, subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens. It takes light frost only, so in hard frosting inland districts plant it against a warm north facing wall.

Soil. Free draining, and not fussy beyond that. Work compost through the planting hole and mulch 75mm deep. It handles sandy coastal soils well.

Water and feed. Deep water weekly through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, since heavy general feeding gives leaf at the expense of flower.

Pruning. This is the part that matters. Prune straight after the spring flowering, cutting back hard where needed and thinning tangled growth. Left alone it builds a heavy mat at the top and goes bare at the bottom, so cut some stems back to the base each year.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in two sizes: tube stock, and 140mm pots in packs of ten. Tubes are young single stemmed plants and the value option for a long fence, while ten 140mm plants at 1.5m spacing cover roughly 13m of boundary in one order.

Climbers travel with their growth trimmed or coiled, so a plant that looks modest on arrival is normal. Tie the leading stems onto their support in the first week, because an untrained vine sprawls along the ground. Growth is fast once the roots take. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare climbing plants for fences and pergolas
• Top bird attracting native plants
• Browse more Australian native plants
• Plants that work on balconies

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it along a fence?

One and a half metres apart gives full, even cover without the plants tangling at the base. On a short run you can go to 1.2m, but no tighter.

Does it need a trellis, or will it climb a wall on its own?

It needs support. This is a twining vine, not a self clinging one, so it wraps around wires, lattice or mesh. That is good news for masonry, since it will not damage render or paint.

Will it take frost?

Light frost only. Established vines shrug off a light ground frost, but repeated hard frosts burn the growth back, so cold inland gardens need a warm wall.