Plant Highlights
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Plant Highlight: Pandorea pandorana
Pandorea is a small genus of vines in the Trumpet-Vine family (Bignoniaceae), native to Australia and islands in the Pacific. The most widely grown is P. jasminoides, the Bower Vine, but P. pandorana, also known as the Wonga-Wonga Vine, is fairly well-known also. Both have somewhat jasmine-like leaves divided into glossy, pointy-tipped leaflets.
Pandorea pandorana has clusters of bell-like flowers, with 5 lobes flaring outward at the lip, which appear around the beginning of the year and last until early spring. The flowers are cream to yellowish-white to pinkish-white in color, marked with purple within. The vines are easy to grow, and prefer rich soil and a sunny situation. Though not actually in the Garden itself, there is a fine specimen of P. pandorana near the entrance to the old garden office. 
