Boston Ivy - What a nightmare, I know what your going through as I want / wanted Boston Ivy too and I'm not sure what I've ended up with either for sure. I'm having to wait perhaps a few years to find out.
Parthenocissus tricuspidata (Boston Ivy). tricuspidata meaning three lobed "Tri" for three.
As I understand things you get a three separate lobes in it's early years and as it matures later in life over a few years you get a single leaf with three points.
Boston Ivy also clings closer to the wall and doesn't stick out as far as Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper).
My Boston Ivy is in its second year and I'm still getting three separate lobes rather than what i'll call a true three lobed leaf. It does go red in the autumn just the same and grows very close to the wall which is what I wanted.
@Cottage Compost: I know the feeling, and I think I got lucky so early in their plant life that I get to find out that they do branch out into true 3 lobed leaves and not 3 separate leaflets.
They started forming little suckers as well to cling on to the walls.
The online store I bought sent me 4, of which 3 of them were the 3-leaflet Boston Ivy while the other is a 5-leaf Virginia Creeper (quinquefolia)
I suppose they couldn't know what it was because when I received it, it's practically just the stems and no identifiable leaves to tell what they actually are.
Im sure yours will grow into them soon enough. I didn't realise even after into their 2nd year, you have yet to see their true form. How big are your plants now?
My plant is 6, 7ft tall. This summer is it's second year growing up my wall.
I may be wrong but I believe it's age, maturity that triggers a change in leaf shape / size etc rather than size although you expect the two hand in hand I know.
When I had made my mind up I wanted Boston Ivy and not Virginia Creeper or some other variant it took me two years to actually decide to buy because I was convinced that several plants that I looked at were mislabelled and were not what I was wanting.
Many garden centres and nurseries would say they are the same and there's no difference between the two. Some places didn't have a clue and weren't interested and just wanted to sell something.
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Boston Ivy - What a nightmare, I know what your going through as I want / wanted Boston Ivy too and I'm not sure what I've ended up with either for sure. I'm having to wait perhaps a few years to find out.
Parthenocissus tricuspidata (Boston Ivy). tricuspidata meaning three lobed "Tri" for three.
As I understand things you get a three separate lobes in it's early years and as it matures later in life over a few years you get a single leaf with three points.
Boston Ivy also clings closer to the wall and doesn't stick out as far as Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper).
My Boston Ivy is in its second year and I'm still getting three separate lobes rather than what i'll call a true three lobed leaf. It does go red in the autumn just the same and grows very close to the wall which is what I wanted.
@Cottage Compost: I know the feeling, and I think I got lucky so early in their plant life that I get to find out that they do branch out into true 3 lobed leaves and not 3 separate leaflets.
They started forming little suckers as well to cling on to the walls.
The online store I bought sent me 4, of which 3 of them were the 3-leaflet Boston Ivy while the other is a 5-leaf Virginia Creeper (quinquefolia)
I suppose they couldn't know what it was because when I received it, it's practically just the stems and no identifiable leaves to tell what they actually are.
Im sure yours will grow into them soon enough. I didn't realise even after into their 2nd year, you have yet to see their true form. How big are your plants now?
My plant is 6, 7ft tall. This summer is it's second year growing up my wall.
I may be wrong but I believe it's age, maturity that triggers a change in leaf shape / size etc rather than size although you expect the two hand in hand I know.
When I had made my mind up I wanted Boston Ivy and not Virginia Creeper or some other variant it took me two years to actually decide to buy because I was convinced that several plants that I looked at were mislabelled and were not what I was wanting.
Many garden centres and nurseries would say they are the same and there's no difference between the two. Some places didn't have a clue and weren't interested and just wanted to sell something.
The two are very different indeed.