New to Tyler (from Houston) in the spring 1998, I was surprised to see on the north side of Wells Street in Tyler a green-leafed bush covered with 3"-5" yellow trumpet flowers. After all, this is northeast Texas, not South America, where the plant is said to have originated. I was informed by the lady who owns the Wells street property that she had obtained the plant some years earlier in Florida. The plant grows profusely in Florida and in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
Allamanda is generally classified as a tender, tropical, evergreen vine growing to a height of 8 feet; however, it appears to have some of the same characteristics as wisteria-it can be grown and shaped into a free-standing bush. I have seen the vine on a trellis against the white brick wall of a home on Silverwood in Tyler, but the large light yellow trumpet blossoms could barely be seen from the street.
The plant is toxic, and its blooms are very attractive to hummingbirds. It has glossy lanceolate leaves. The plant is best grown outdoors in full sun, in humus-rich soil, but it may be grown indoors in a container. If properly fertilized and the fresh growth nipped back, the vine will remain dense and bushy and set huge numbers of the yellow trumpet flowers. Protection from the cold in most winters will be necessary.
Jon LeBleu, Smith County Master Gardener
Texas Cooperative Extension
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