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Chocolate Vine climber Akebia Quinata
Chocolate Vine climber I have 2 of these planted on trellis on a 2 garage back wall at the end of my garden. They have successfully covered the wall and do flower but the flowers are so small and dark they really don't stand out that much. I live on the south coast & they tolerate the weather. I have a passion flower climber at the other end that has weaved its way through the chocolate vine and looks pretty. My question : can I hard cut back the chocolate vine & when is the best time here on the south coast, W Sussex ?
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Hi JuUK
I've not grown an akebia, but I thought you might like to see the pictures of the one we saw on our visit to West Acre Gardens yesterday
The flowers may be small, but just look at those seed pods!!!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
WOW those pods are MASSIVE! Interesting. My clematis has fruit now but no pods on my chocolate vine. Must look closer. Too many spider webs right now though! ????
Thought you'd be interested
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I was the naughty person who walked over the herbacious border to hold the Akebia seed head for the photo and it was weird, sort of woody on the outside but that incredible pale lilac colour.
West Acre has a climate of its own and grows things that shouldn't survive in East Anglia. Also produces fruits from things that don't fruit in East Anglia.
In my experience akebia is loads of rapidly growing leafy stems and the odd flower. In all the years I've grown it I've never seen a pod. Not even a tiny one
BUT
artjak says the RHS site says they need another clone to pollinate
In the sticks near Peterborough