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Planting akebia (chocolate vine)

pariatepariate Posts: 77
in Plants

Hello everyone

This is my first post here.  Not only am I new to the forum, I am something of an amateur in the garden too.  We are currently renovating our garden.  The previous owner concreted over half the lawn and covered the other half in paving.  There are no beds, no lawn, it's dreadful.  On one side of the garden we have a 20m north-facing fence.  I intend to plant an akebia there.  I understand this is something of a love or hate plant, and that some people consider it a pest because it is so vigorous.  Of course, in a completely bare garden and along such a long fench, fast growth is highly desirable.

My question is, considering the length of the fence, should I plant more than one akebia?  If so, how many? 

I am prepared for vigilient pruning duty, and I love the flowers on this plant so much that I think it is a good choice.  If, however, you have very strong feelings to the contrary, I would welcome your feedback.  image  We want something that will grow quickly, bears flowers, and is evergreen or as close to evergreen as possible. 

Thank you!

Posts

  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 16,671

    I would plant a few different plants. Clematis,  Akebia, Honeysuckles, will all grow quickly and can give you cover, and flowers at differering times of year.

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,154

    Hello pariate

    I agree with fidget, akebia has interesting flowers, said to smell of chocolate?, I've never had enough flowers to smell and no seeds.



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • pariatepariate Posts: 77

    I had planned to plant honeysuckle and clematis elsewhere in the garden, it hadn't occurred to me to plant it on the north facing fence because I was under the impression it wouldn't get enough sun.  After reading your replies, I Goooooogled to see what information I could find about honeysuckle in such a position and found the following article.  Perhaps I should reconsider.

    http://www.gardenersworld.com/blogs/plants/growing-honeysuckle/3507.html

    Shame, I was such a fan of the Akebia that grew in my neighbour's garden before I moved to this house.  But I guess there's no reason why I can't plant one on a section of the fence with a honeysuckle or clematis on another part.  I might stick in an annual climber this summer just to fill the space.

  • pariatepariate Posts: 77

    P.S.  I'd appreciate ideas on evergreen varieties of honeysuckle and clematis please.  There are so many to choose from and even after narrowing down the list to the evergreen options, I'm still a little overwhelmed.

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