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Vines - Part 4 - Page 3

© Marge Talt

Both are twining climbers. C. scandens can reach ten to twenty feet tall (3.04 - 6.09 m) and C. orbiculata up to thirty or forty feet (9.1 - 12.19 m) in height. They thrive in almost any soil except perpetually soggy, in sun or woodland shade. Male and female flowers are produced on separate plants and both sexes have to be grown to get fruit set. The males are more vigorous and need to be pruned to keep them in order. One male should be planted for every five female plants. Bittersweet do not transplant easily, but once they get established they can become quite weedy if they aren't watched and pruned. Never let them climb trees or shrubs because they can choke them out. This reputation has restrained me from enjoying the fall berries so far, but you may be willing to devote the attention necessary for these vines to thrive without becoming a menace.

Beauty Or Beast?

Ampelopsis brevipedunculata, Porcelain Berry, Porcelain Vine, or Porcelain Ampelopsis is another that bears watching. The name Ampelopsis is Greek for 'like the grapevine'; not a bad description of this species, one of the seven hundred or so woody vines with tendrils comprising the grape family, Vitaceae. Most of the species are tropical or sub-tropical. Unlike many vines with tendrils, those in this family are formed from the main stem.

Pictured is a scan of my A. brevipedunculata var. Elegans, grown for the beautiful white leaf variegation as well as the fall display of bright blue berries. The much larger solid green leaf is a self-sown seedling, reverting to species type. I was rather horrified to find the seedling overwhelming the parent this year, due to my totally neglecting to rogue it out when it germinated. You really do have to watch these guys! Elegans is much slower growing than the species, smaller in all parts and with berries of a more turquoise color than those of the species, although I understand the colors are quite variable in range.

Ampelopsis are all deciduous, woody climbers, native to eastern Asia and North America. A. brevipedunculata is from northeast Asia, but it has naturalized, via bird spread seed, along the east coast of America from Canada to North Carolina and west to Michigan. Hardy to zone 6, they can climb to fifteen feet (5 m) or so on any support upon which they can get a grip. I grow mine on small mesh, heavy duty plastic netting. While preferring moist, well-drained soil, they are adaptable as to soil fertility and pH, tolerant of heat and drought and will grow in full sun to partial shade.

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