Top climbing plants – Virginia Creeper
We’ve compiled our climbing plants top ten with a few factors taken into consideration.
- Colour, we’ve included plants which have good, showy tendencies in either the flower or the foliage (leaf)
- Growing properties, all those in our selection are easy to grow
- Tolerance, the plants will grow well in all but the harshest of UK conditions (some local conditions may not be suitable i.e. coastal)
Kicking off with our 1st nominee is the Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus)
Originating in North America this shrub feels equally at home here in the UK, and being tolerant of our climate it makes it into the ‘hardy’ category. Have you ever seen old buildings or walls covered in a blaze of red foliage in the autumn? chances are that it’s this popular and easy to maintain plant.
Height: to 15 mts
Flowers: May – June
Family: Parthenocissus
The Virginia Creeper is not grown for it’s floral display, in fact the flowers are rather disappointing being small and usually hidden behind the foliage. However the real reason for it’s popularity is it’s stunning leaf colour it changes to in the autumn, with deep, rich reds it give a spectacular display. It is a deciduous plant so will shed it’s foliage in winter.
Growing this climber is simplicity itself. Whilst it prefers an acidic soil the virginia Creeper will do well in any type so it ticks the box for being most accommodating for both soil and also for position. You can plant it in full sun, part sun, shady & full shade areas, it will grow well in all but the north facing position.
Ideal for covering walls, trellis, & lap fencing (with support, the rootlets on each shoot will readily attach themselves to any available place so be aware if it reaches guttering or tiles). Prune back when the vines reaches your preferred height and width, being reasonably tough it will recover well. The Virginia Creeper also has another use if you need horizontal cover instead of vertical, it provides good ground cover!
As always, if you have any hints or tips regarding the plant, please do send us an email.