Chocolate vine

Joy*

I have 2 Akebia quinata plants in my new garden, planted last autumn. Each is near a climbing rose. The intention was to let them grow into the rose and on to the pergola. I've been Googling them to check how best to care for them. I've found a site which says that they are very invasive and a pest which is difficult to eradicate. This was in the USA but I am still a bit concerned that I have introduced something akin to bindweed, into a relatively weed free environment. If they are going to be a nuisance I would rather get rid of them now,  before they get too attached and certainly whilst they are relatively small. Has anyone got any experience they could share. They're quite attractive but didn't flower in the spring,  being quite immature, and are not as rampant as the clematis - yet!!

Helix

Well we had one in London that spread, but wasn’t a pest at all.  It twined along a fence in quite a delicate way and we were very fond of it.  Quite a heavy clay soil, so not ideal conditions.  And we have just bought two for current home, which are currently doing nothing! 

Joy*

Hi Helix. Mine aren't making great progress either and they are in new good quality topsoil and a bag of multipurpose compost each!

Myosotis23

I have one growing up a pergola it's been there for 3 years & flowered well this year, I wouldn't consider it a nuisance, it doesn't spread & if it gets too big I just cut it back. I like it, the flowers are a lovely colour & although not big are very pretty I also like the shape of the leaves.

Lizzie27

I've got one given to me by a friend , which I planted 2/3 years ago in a hedge to help cover a bare patch. This year it seems to have taken off and is growing fast. I understand they can grow to about 17 feet. My plan to keep it under control is just trim it when we trim the hedge.  It hasn't flowered yet. We're on clay soil as well.

Joy*

Thank you all. They have been given a reprieve! I would agree that the leaves are pretty. I will keep an eye on them as I want an oasis rather than a jungle and I hate getting rid of anything - look at my post about my aspidestra which has been on the go since at least 1850.

Papi Jo

Discovered (and planted) an akebia quinata to cover my 3m x 3x pergola. 5 years later it has done more than its job. You can follow the whole story on my garden site at http://www.rezeau.org/wp-garden/en/akebia-quinata-cream-flowered-2/

Lovely little creamy-white flowers very early in season! No fruit, though.

Quite recently, during my "open-garden week-end" I was showing my akebia-covered pergola to the visitors and decided to show off my knowledge of Latin/botanical terms. I casually picked one akebia leaf to demonstrate the presence of the five leaflets which explain the quinata epithet in the species name. However, much to my shame and the visitors' laughter, I had picked one of the fairly rare leaves with only 4 leaflets.

4-leaflets (for luck?)

Normal leaves with 5 leaflets (A. quinata!)

Valley Gardener

These comments are good to hear. I planted one last year for an arch,to climb with Clems and roses,also in clay soil. Will prune when it needs it. Very pretty vine.

Papi Jo

@Valley Gardener You might find that one A. quinata + clematites + roses is way too much for an arch. Have you read the details of my akebia, which covers a total area of about 10 m² after a few years?

Valley Gardener

@Papi Jo Does it grow a thick "trunk"? And do you think I will be able to control it with regular pruning? The idea originally was to get some height with an arch,and have some colour with a clem threading through,will it take too much from the soil? I see from the pictures that it's almost as bad as the Russian Vine.......😮