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| I know this question is probably more appropriate in the "Vines" forum, but there seems to be little conversation activity on there...maybe you guys could help me out.
Do any of you know anything about Variegated Porcelain Vines? I have had mine in the ground now for a month....it has gotten a few long branches, but not definitely being the "fast" grower I thought it would be. At the rate it's going it definitely won't cover the area this season. I planted it at the top of our hill beside the house....for a trellis I cut up an old wooden ladder we had, and I ran clear fishing line up and down and across. It's not really a small grid pattern....more on the larger size really. My vine seems to be having trouble climbing.....the two long stems I have gotten to start climbing I noticed today have fallen behind the ladder and were flopped. I know these vines like sun, but at about 3pm when I get home, the top part of the hill is already being shaded by the house. So my questions are....do these plants typically take more than 1 growing season to climb and fill out an area? Do you leave them in place at the end of the season, do you cut them back, or do they just die back on their own? Do I need to possibly change my lattice structure to get it to cling better? Thanks! You can see the porcelain vine in the back at the top of the hill, and the ladders I used.
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Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Mon, Jun 25, 12 at 17:11
| you have some high expectations for a newly planted vine ... leave it lay on the ground.. and ignore it for a few weeks.. then start braiding it thru the ladder ... and that ladder idea.. was pure genius.. congrats ... ken |
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| Thanks Ken! Yeah, it's hard to know for a new gardener what the term "fast grower" really means...and it seems to vary from plant to plant....in regards to that Ajuga in that hill, I guess fast means it will probably cover the hill in 3 years! Lol, I thought fast might mean a couple of months! |
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Some close up pictures I took:   Dang, outta focus!  |
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| It looks fine to me. I'd just be really careful to deadhead it fully so it doesn't re-seed all over your yard and your neighbor's yard and their neighbor's yard... |
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| How do you deadhead this plant? Do these plants stay over winter, or do they die back completely? Also, I was curious that since this is the Variegated kind how come only the initial leaves when I bought the plant have the crackled look, but the new leaves all just seem to be solid green? Do they get crackled as they age or something? |
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| To deadhead this (and any) plant, remove the flowers before they turn into berries/fruit/seed-pods. Unfortunately, many people consider the berries of ampelopsis to be pretty, so they leave the plant to go to seed, at which point it becomes an ecological invasive in many locations. You can Google your state along with the words "ampelopsis" and "invasive" to see if it is a problem where you are. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Ampelopsis
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 26, 12 at 8:12
| fast growing does not really mean much of anything.. in the year of planting ... it is growing fast.. underground.. to grow roots.. to grow fast above ground next season ... soon enough.. you will be beating it back with a stick.. a large stick... lol i THINK.. peeps are being rather nice.. i alluding to the fact.. that you MAY HAVE planted a problem.. if the time comes.. that it swallows the front door.. and you start finding hundreds of them all over the property.. KILL IT ... maybe it will ... maybe it wont... ken |
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