cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit), photographi

How to Grow Cypress Vine

Ipomoea quamoclit · Zones 11-12

Cypress Vine is a perennial grown for its red blooms, which open in summer and return year after year. It's hardy across USDA zones 11 through 12, shrugs off deer and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its summer flowers are a real draw for hummingbirds and butterflies.

Cypress Vine — the short answer

Cypress Vine: grown in zones 11–12, full sun, pH 5.5–7.5.

USDA zones
11–12
Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
Soil pH
5.5–7.5
Growable Ground Plant Database
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground Plant Database
Frost-kill temp (growing season)
32°F
Growable Ground Plant Database

Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.

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What Cypress Vine is

Cypress Vine grows as a perennial and reaches around ten feet at maturity. It blooms red in summer. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.

How to grow Cypress Vine

Cypress Vine grows in USDA zones 11 through 12. Cypress Vine does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. It needs around 2,500 growing degree days to mature and a growing season of at least 60 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.

USDA Zones

11-12

USDA PHZM 2023

Soil pH

5.5 - 7.5

Growable Ground Plant Database

Sun

Full Sun

Growable Ground plant catalog

Drainage

well (dry spells)

Growable Ground plant catalog

Frost Kill Temperature

32°F

Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.

Growable Ground Plant Database

GDD Required

2500+

Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.

Growable Ground plant catalog

Mature Height

10 ft

Growable Ground plant catalog

Frost-Free Days

60+

The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.

Growable Ground plant catalog

  1. Start the season right

    Plant cypress vine in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.

  2. Match the soil

    Cypress Vine prefers pH 5.5 to 7.5 (Growable Ground Plant Database). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.

  3. Water steadily

    Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.

  4. Harvest at its peak

    Cut cypress vine blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.

Where Cypress Vine thrives

Cypress Vine is hardy across USDA zones 11 through 12. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.

A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 1112 spans average winter lows from 40°F to 60°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers none outright but splits 3 down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.

Zones 11–12 highlighted on the USDA national hardiness zone map

Zones 11–12·Where Cypress Vine growsOpen map →

This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.

Where Cypress Vine stands, state by state

Cypress Vine is rated for zones 1112 — a cold floor USDA puts at 40 to 50°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 0 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 3 more, and 48 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.

The line runs through

3 states

Cypress Vine’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.

Outside zones 11–12

48 states

3 of 48 shown

Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.

State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.

Good to know

One caution for pet owners — cypress vine is toxic to dogs and cats (mild severity). Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)

Cypress Vine is a standout pollinator plant — high value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)

Your land is one point inside Cypress Vine's range

This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.

Free Report

See if Cypress Vine will thrive on your land

Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether cypress vine actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.

Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:

Your soil pHYour frost-free daysYour sun & shade

We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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How we know this about Cypress Vine

The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.

Grounded inUSDA PLANTS DatabaseUSDA PHZMASPCA

Frequently asked questions

Can I grow Cypress Vine in my zone?

Cypress Vine grows in USDA hardiness zones 11 through 12 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.

When should you plant Cypress Vine?

Most growers plant cypress vine after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, leaving enough of the season for its 60-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.

How much sun does Cypress Vine need?

Cypress Vine needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.

What soil does Cypress Vine need?

Cypress Vine prefers soil pH 5.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground (Growable Ground Plant Database). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.

Does Cypress Vine attract pollinators?

Yes — cypress vine's flowers are a strong nectar and pollen source for hummingbirds and butterflies. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)

Is Cypress Vine safe for pets?

Cypress Vine is toxic to pets (dogs,cats) with mild severity. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)

Keep exploring Cypress Vine

Cypress Vine by USDA hardiness zone

Cypress Vine state by state

Every state cypress vine's zone reaches — 3 link straight to that state's cypress vine growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.