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Cistus Nursery

Aristolochia californica

Aristolochia californica

This western native Dutchman's pipe, indigenous through western California and southwest Oregon, can be a vine to 8 ft or so or a happily scrambling specimen. Either way, it is deciduous, with 3”, heart-shaped leaves and olive green stems that are quite attractive in their winter leaflessness. In spring and sometimes beyond into summer, light flowers appear -- the Dutchman's pipes of the common name -- often mottled or centered a maroon brown. Sun to part shade with afternoon protection in the hottest climates. Happy with extreme summer drought. Cold hardy to USDA zone 7. Host to the gorgeous Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly.

CALIFORNIA PIPEVINE

Aristolochiaceae

Regular price $18.00 USD
Regular price Sale price $18.00 USD
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Shipping Policy

Please allow up to two weeks for processing your order. During high-volume seasons such as Spring and Fall, orders can take up to 3 weeks. We appreciate your patience! 

We accept orders to be shipped throughout the contiguous United States only. Please contact us directly, either by phone or email, to inquire about orders being shipped to Alaska or Hawaii. At this time we do not ship internationally.  

Should weather conditions or other circumstances intervene, in your part of the world or ours, we will work with you to confirm the best shipping date. If you have a specific shipping date requirement, please call or email us. Please note, however, that we cannot hold shipment of purchased plants for longer than two weeks. 

We ship via UPS only. We do not ship to PO boxes. 

See our full Shipping Policy here.

Mail Order Plant Size

Mail Order plants start in either 2", 3" or 4" square nursery pots.

Prior to shipping, we remove plants from their pots, and with roots intact, safely bag and wrap each plant. Depending on the plant, we do make exceptions to this rule.

Please note: Photos on this site may not represent actual plant size. We may also find it necessary to prune or trim plants before wrapping and shipping.

See our full Shipping Policy here.

Planting Recommendations

Under most conditions, planting directly into the garden is best. Keep in mind, that in our care, plants have been protected from intense sunlight and drying winds and would therefore require sheltered transition time in order to acclimate to such conditions in your garden.

All plants going into containers (rather than in the ground) should be potted immediately in well-drained potting mix and watered well to ensure the soil is fully moistened with no air pockets. Succulent plants abide by different rules (**see below).

Plants held for later planting are best stored in a cool greenhouse or a well-lit garage or basement, rather than in your house where conditions are likely too warm and dry.

Those plants needing time to acclimate can be set out in pots and provided some shade and shelter for the first week to allow for a successful transition.

**For cacti and other succulents, we recommend using a soil mix of less than 30% organic matter, preferably a 2-1 blend of cactus/succulent potting soil and pumice, perlite or lava rock. These plants are sensitive to prolonged heavy moisture, especially in cool/winter conditions. Keep this in mind when watering them for the first time. It is better to leave them dry in lower temperatures.

Retail Nursery Pick Up

Mail order plants on this site are available for pick up from our Sauvie Island retail nursery. (We also have a substantial and ever-changing selection of plants in larger sizes available for purchase in our retail nursery.)

Should you like to pick up mail order plants, please place your order online. It takes us 2-4 days to pull your order and then you’ll receive an email when your plants are ready. If you need your plants quickly, please give us a call.

We can hold pick up orders for up to 7 days. Please do not place an order if you cannot pick up your plants within the 7-day window.

If you are planning on visiting our nursery and want to to purchase mail order plants while you are here, please be aware that we are a small team and may not always be able to pull mail order plants same-day.

Best to plan ahead...

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