Our protagonist today is a magnificent climber: the virgin vine. Drought resistant already frost, rustic, and last but not least, produces fruits of a very beautiful bluish color. These begin to ripen towards the end of autumn, but the fruiting period can last until well into December, even until Christmas. Of course, they are not edible.
The scientific name of the genus is Parthenocissus and, although there are about 10 different species, the best known are the Parthenocissus quinquefolia whose leaf is composed of five leaflets, and the Parthenocissus tricuspidata whose leaf is simple, without dividing, but nevertheless has three points at its bottom, hence it is called tricuspidata. Would you like to know more about this beautiful plant?
The origin of the virgin vine is in Asia and North America reaching Mexico. They are climbing shrubs, deciduous, which can cover buildings and tall houses up to 7-8 meters in a few years. It has a very fast growth, and its great adaptability to different climates and types of soil have made it the quintessential climber of many botanical and private gardens.
Also, if you are looking to create contrast in your garden but you live in a Mediterranean climate, The virgin vine is one of the few plants that manages to turn a deep red color in autumn in this type of climate.thus making that station even more beautiful.
As you can see in the photograph, it is a climber that it does not need supports to grow. She grabs herself in the smallest hole she can find in the wall, and thus manages to grow and reach such high heights.
In gardening it is used to cover walls, walls, lattices … It can even also be used as a hanging plant, or as a bonsai thanks to the fact that its trunk is, unlike other climbers, woody. It can be pruned whenever it is considered appropriatepreferably at the end of the summer when it loses the leaves.
What do you think of the virgin vine?
