Maiden grapes: planting and care in the open field, propagation of a variety, cultivation and combination in landscape design + photo

Category: Garden Plants

Girlish grapes, or virgin grapes (lat.parthenocissus) - a genus of plants of the family Grape, which has about 10 species that grow wild in Asia and North America. The Latin name comes from the Greek words meaning "virgin" and "ivy" and is associated with the plant's ability to produce fruit without pollination. Three species of this genus are grown as ornamental plants. Maiden grapes in landscape design have been used since the 17th century to decorate gazebos and terraces, decorate the walls of houses and outbuildings, create hedges and even as a ground cover plant.

Description of the plant: varieties and varieties

The botanical name - Parthenocissus, translated as "virgin ivy", belongs to the grape family, has a second name - "maiden grapes".

Maiden grapes are often used to decorate the territory of the personal plot

The genus Parthenocissus consists of 19 species. We grow two types of maiden grapes in the open field:

Five-leaf (Parthenocissusguinguefolia);
Tri-pointed (Parthenocissustricuspidata).

Five-leaf maiden grape
Five-leafed virgin ivy is a vine with five palmate leaves. Leaves are oval, pointed. For growth, a support is needed, to which the vine is attached using the antennae on the shoots. With normal development, the shoots reach a length of more than 18 meters. Blooms in summer. The fruits are inedible. In the fall, the green foliage turns red. Prefers to grow in full sun. Very frost resistant.

The tri-pointed maiden grape is a vine with three finger-like leaves. At the ends of the shoots there are up to 10 antennae, with which the plant is attached to the support. The antennae have suction cups, so you would rather break the shoot than be able to tear it off the support. Shoots grow up to 10 meters. Less frost-resistant than five-leafed.

Viche variety

Maiden grape varieties:

Henry is good for house breeding. It is planted in fairly deep containers. Suitable for bonsai.
Attached - grown as a houseplant.
Enelman - he has small, tightly fitting leaves. It grows very quickly.
Hairy - the leaves are pubescent below, like young shoots. It hibernates badly.
Viche is a very popular triangular grape variety.

Description

Popularly, this perennial plant is well known as maiden or virgin ivy. This nickname stuck because of the plant's ability to pollinate itself, thanks to the presence of bisexual flowers.

Ornamental foliage is especially attractive. The bright green summer color is replaced by purple - red and even purple in the fall.

Small clusters ripen in early autumn. Small round berries acquire a dark blue, almost black hue with a waxy coating as they ripen. They are not edible, but they contrast beautifully with the crimson foliage.

The bushes have good vigor and are easily adaptable to environmental conditions. The culture is cold-resistant and is able to withstand frost and winter even uncovered. The grapes thrive in high temperatures and drought conditions.

Planting a plant

Maiden grapes do not require particularly fertile soil and do not like dry and depleted ones, they tolerate slight salinization of the soil. It is undemanding to lighting. Feels good in the sun and in the shade. But still keep in mind that planting in the shade will affect the color of its foliage in the fall - it will remain green until the very frost and will not turn into a beautiful burgundy or yellow color, and the liana may not bloom and form picturesque clusters with dark berries.

The planting time does not matter, the vine takes root equally well in spring and autumn. According to gardeners, it is enough just to plant and water, and then the grapes grow on their own - just manage to cut off the excess growth.

Girlish grapes grow well without constant care

A week before planting in a permanent place, you need to prepare and cultivate the soil. Remove the weeds and dig a 50 x 60 cm planting hole. Mix the removed soil with a bucket of compost and a bucket of sand. At the bottom of the pit, you need to pour a liter can of ash or 300-400 g of double superphosphate. Arrange the drainage: crushed stone, broken brick, expanded clay (which is at hand) are placed on the bottom, planks or pieces of slate on top, so that the drainage does not quickly float into the ground. Pour in part of the excavated soil. Next, spread the roots of the seedling and add the remaining soil. Form an irrigation hole and mulch. The distance between seedlings is recommended at least 1 m. After planting, be sure to water well.

If you plan to grow a perennial maiden grape groundcover over a large area, then the plants need to be planted every 0.6 m, and 2-4 pieces should be planted in each hole.

Plan in advance the area for growing maiden grapes

While the vine is small, set up a support or tie it up to direct the plant in the right direction. An adult plant needs serious support, so the vine is planted in open ground for many years, then take care of this in advance.

Important. When planting girlish grapes, do not deepen the root collar - it should be located at ground level.

Grape heart

You can decorate the balcony with grapes, for this, as you grow, you will need to cut off the shoots, leaving only the trunk itself, and the vine will trail exclusively along the balcony. Such a work of art is quite time consuming, but worth it.

Your balcony decorated with girlish grapes will look simply amazing, the view of the balcony will resemble a fragment from a fairy tale or a piece of the Middle Ages.

You can make the vine just braid the balcony, or you can use proper pruning and create small supports to make it hang down from it.

Small fences will become lush and beautiful, it is enough to plant a bush of Maiden grapes next to it. You can plant several shrubs along the fence, or you can simply let it grow horizontally, not vertically.

It is not at all difficult to make horizontal landscaping, just guides the vine in the right direction, if necessary, tie the vine until it catches itself with antennae.

So you can decorate even a low fence around the flower bed, just constantly in the fall or early spring, prune the vine, not allowing it to go beyond the fence. The biggest plus of creating such a fence is that you don't need to put some good fence for it, no one will see it anyway, you can make the most ordinary wattle fence as the basis for the fence.

A ball of Maiden grapes is just a gorgeous design for decorating a garden or a personal plot, such a ball near your yard will delight and envy neighbors and believe me, then the same balls will appear on your street.

The design is quite simple and will not cost you much.For manufacturing, you only need a thick plastic drain pipe, metal-plastic pipes, connections for metal-plastic pipes and wire.

You will need to attach by soldering or other fastening method, into which pipes can be inserted, you need a maximum of 6 pieces of them.
Just bend the metal-plastic pipes, they bend very easily, insert them into the joints. Usually only 2 pieces of pipe are needed to make 4 sides of the ball, but can be made from three pieces depending on the size of the ball.
And then, just twisting around the pipes, wrap a little ball with thick wire along which the grapes will weave. You only need to create an approximate ball shape, clear round shapes will already be acquired during the formation of the vine.
Then dig the pipe into the ground and plant grape bushes on 4 sides under the pipe itself.
As you grow, wrap a thick pipe with a vine, and then let the whole structure grow overgrown, as you grow, trim it in shape. And you will get a beautiful ball!

We suggest you familiarize yourself with: When to plant grape cuttings in spring

Girlish grapes are great for creating arches. To create such an arch, it is best to make a structure from reinforcement, of course a wooden one, but it will last much less and an unpleasant situation may occur when, due to a structural malfunction, a plant grown with love will have to be removed.

Such an arch can be made at the entrance to your garden or even into the courtyard; you can make several arches of various sizes nearby, just for your taste and imagination. It is better to plant grapes for the arch on both sides, then the braiding occurs more evenly, and if you plant on one, it will look one-sided due to the fact that on one side there will be a thick crown, and on the other only a vine and you will never achieve the arch was braided evenly on both sides.

Such a masterpiece will be a wonderful decoration for a garden or even on an area near the yard. The heart as a symbol of love will give you incredible aesthetic pleasure and will give you a lot of pleasant emotions when you look at it. The design is very simple and you can do it yourself if you know how to do welding, but if you have the means, you can entrust the manufacture of the structure to a professional.

You will need to make an iron square with a height of at least 60 cm, it should be a box without a bottom and a lid measuring at least 50 by 50 cm.
Then it is necessary to weld 2 rods or 2 thick pieces of iron to it at a distance of 20 cm from each other.
Now you take and make 2 hearts from rods using a vice and a hammer, if you yourself cannot, order them where blacksmith products are made. Manufacturing will not take long.
Weld both hearts to the planks.
Then it is still necessary to weld to each heart 2 more pieces of reinforcement from the heart to the crossbars on the box, they will hold it, not allowing the structure to collapse under the weight of the vine or the pressure of the wind.
Next, you still need to weld pieces of reinforcement that will connect the edges of the hearts to each other.
Then, from top to bottom, randomly wrap the structure with thick wire, along which the grapes will braid the structure.
The structure is dug into the ground, this is done by deepening the iron box into the ground by 20 cm.Do not deepen it any more under the weight, it will still go a little into the ground by itself.
Plant a bush of Maiden grapes in the center of the box, then, as it grows, guide the vine yourself along the structure, if necessary, you can tie it up for a while until it hooks itself with antennae.

This heart looks especially gorgeous in autumn, when the foliage turns red, it then looks like a real heart. When the whole structure is overgrown, all your friends will surely have a photo of your heart.

Maiden grape care

Maiden grapes are a very unpretentious tree-like liana, in open ground, caring for it is quite simple, it is enough just to regularly and in time to sanitize the lashes and water in a severe drought. Without pruning, this beautiful plant can turn into ugly thickets.

The most important thing is to carry out the formation of culture on time

It is not necessary to cover the plant for the winter, since frost-resistant varieties prevail in our latitudes, but even if the whips freeze, then there is nothing wrong - new young shoots will emerge from the replacement buds. It is enough just to cut the lashes to healthy wood.

For the first few years, the vine is actively increasing the root mass; during this period, fertilizing with fertilizers is required twice during the growing season. You also need to tie up a young plant, in the future it will find support by itself, clinging to antennae and aerial roots for any roughness on the surface.

Fortified virgin ivy will give an annual growth of several meters. So that the vine does not entangle the entire area, let's figure out how to carry out the formation.

For girlish grapes, you definitely need a support

The growing young shoots need to be guided along the support, thus forming the skeleton of the plant.
Those shoots that do not grow where you need to do not be afraid to remove immediately. It won't hurt the vine.
After the skeleton has been formed, only sanitary pruning in the spring and restraining pruning in the summer is carried out. All weak, damaged shoots are removed, as well as those that thicken the plant or give a sloppy appearance.

Advice. When trimming shoots, leave no more than 5 mm above the bud, then you will save yourself from sticking out stumps of lashes, which looks ugly.

Growing and care

Liana has no special requirements for growing:

grows on the vast majority of soils;
not afraid of drought;
withstands shading in summer;
withstands severe frost in winter;
plants planted in the southern exposure bear fruit abundantly, are more intensely colored in autumn;
does not get sick;
not attacked by pests.

Liana is distinguished by strong growth, is able to quickly turn a fence into a beautiful green wall. If it is noticed that individual specimens grow slowly, you can replace them with new plants right during the growing season. Seedlings should be purchased in containers.

Pruning

Immediately after planting, the shoots are cut into 3-4 eyes. In subsequent years, each season at the beginning of spring, about 1/3 of the last growth is pruned. Shoot shortening can be carried out in the summer, no later than the end of July, so that the shoots growing after pruning have time to woody before the onset of winter.

Watering, feeding

Adequate soil moisture should be ensured during the period of rapid growth of wild grapes. Lack of water in the soil can significantly reduce vine growth.

The introduction of organic fertilizers allows:

increase the moisture content of the soil;
allows watering less often;
provides grapes with nutrients;
stimulates active growth, development.

Plant propagation

There are several ways to propagate girly grapes outdoors, choose the one that works best for you.

Propagation of girlish grapes by layering

Layers. In the spring, select a lash with buds and dig in several places to a depth of 5 cm, first pin it to the ground in these places with a wire or a hairpin. The end of the whip is not buried. Water well. By the fall, you will receive several ready-grown seedlings.

Cuttings.Cuttings are made in spring or autumn. Select a 3-4 year old lash as thick as a pencil and cut into pieces with 4-5 green buds. Tear off all the leaves and plant so that two buds remain on the surface. To make the stalk root faster, slightly scratch the part that you dig in.

Advice. If the cutting is planted in a sunny place, then you need to shade it before the formation of the first shoot, and water it regularly for good survival.

Cuttings of maiden grapes take root very easily
Seeds. This is a rather troublesome way. Ripe fruits should rot, after which the seeds must be carefully removed from them. In the spring, before planting, they need to be stratified for better germination. To do this, the seeds are first soaked for several hours in cold water, then placed in wet sand and refrigerated for a month.

Root offspring. This is perhaps the easiest way to breed virgin ivy. Where the vine comes into contact with the soil, roots are formed that take root easily. You just need to plant them in a permanent place, without deepening the root collar.

Fertilizer

For the good development of ivy, you need the use of dressings:

A couple of times in the spring, 1 m³ of water is diluted with 50 g of nitroammofoska;
With dynamic growth, 150 g of fertilizer "Kemira Universal" is applied;
In autumn, the soil is fertilized with potash components, for example, potassium magnesium or wood ash;
For active development of shoots, use 50 g of "Aquamarine" per 1 m2 of soil;
The following components can be used as organic dressings: two-year compost;
peat;
humus;
sawdust;
fallen decayed foliage.

Diseases and pests

Diseases and pests bypass this vine, so there is no need to expect surprises from this side, which means that you will not have unnecessary trouble.

Most likely, there will be no need to protect girlish grapes from pests.

It rarely happens that aphids settle on young shoots, they do not bring much harm. It is enough to wash it off with water from a hose or spray it with a solution of laundry soap with the addition of alcohol. If the folk remedy does not help, use the biological product "Fitoverm" or the insecticide "Fufanon" according to the instructions.

Maiden grapes combined with other plants

Other vines go well with girlish grapes in landscape design. Clematis, according to gardeners, grows even better with such a neighborhood, because virgin ivy protects the roots of clematis and the base of the stems from the sun.

It is good to combine girlish grapes with hops, if the green leaves of regular hops seem too boring, plant an Aureus plant with yellow-green leaves. The green decorative leaves of the maiden grape will favorably emphasize the flowers of the climbing rose and will become a support for it.

Maiden grapes decorating the gazebo

Against the background of a fence braided with a liana, conifers look good: spruce, juniper and thuja, if you add sod and barberry to this composition, then the conifers will visually lose their heaviness. When the maiden grapes shed their leaves, the coniferous group will come to the fore as a soloist.

Girlish grapes in landscape design

The maiden grape is an amazingly flexible plant with strong and flexible shoots. In landscape design, girlish grapes are most often used for vertical gardening of the walls of various buildings and structures: these are gazebos, fences, walls of outbuildings, retaining walls. Combine with other plants.

Virgin ivy multiplies easily and grows rapidly: in 2-3 years it is able to completely drape a 2-storey building. At the same time, the landing takes up a very small area, which is important.

Girlish grapes are able to create a shadow in a gazebo or disguise an ugly fence

From it, you can create a screen for zoning a site, disguise unsightly buildings and areas: septic tanks and compost heaps, hide a mesh-netting fence from the views of curious neighbors, and turn a dry tree into a bizarre structure.

A garden with maiden grapes always looks richer visually: in summer these are green vertical planes, and in autumn they are bright yellow and red surfaces that bring a sense of coziness to the landscape and a romantic mood.

With ease, girlish grapes can tighten an entire building

Since it is a deciduous plant, from autumn to spring its lashes remain bare, and this does not always look attractive. On the other hand, strict lines of structures of fences, trellises, gazebos and pergolas come to the fore, and the vines lie on top like carpets.

This vine is used in landscaping as an excellent perennial groundcover in natural gardens. In addition to the decor, there are also advantages: it regulates the humidity on the site, protects against wind and sun, traps dust, reduces noise, the walls of a residential building entwined with virgin ivy do not overheat in summer, and in autumn and winter they are well ventilated when foliage falls.

Popular types

The maiden grape combines 10 species common in nature in North America and East Asia. In gardens, 3 species are most often grown. These are large perennial vines. They are attached to the support with antennae or oval "suction cups".

Five-leafed maiden grape (Virginian) (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)

Five-leaf maiden grape

Liana is native to the humid forests of North America. In the first years it develops slowly, then it grows faster. Young shoots are reddish in color and can grow up to 15–20 m.

The leaves are palmate, consisting of 3-5 ovate leaflets with serrated edges and a pointed apex. In autumn, they change their green color. In the sun they become bright red, in partial shade - yellow.

The plant blooms in early summer for 2 weeks. Small greenish flowers are collected in panicle inflorescences. The dark blue fruits ripen towards the end of summer. They are unsuitable for food because of the high concentration of oxalic acid.

This species has many advantages: it is winter-hardy, undemanding to soil and light, easily propagates by seeds, and cuttings take root in 100% of cases.

It is in demand in vertical gardening. Most decorative garden forms:

Engelmani with small foliage;
hairy with a delicate and soft down on young shoots and the underside of leaves;
wallcapable of covering large areas, including smooth and steep surfaces, thanks to its numerous branches with suction cups;
Saint Pauli with pubescent shoots, branched antennae and long inflorescences.

Attached maiden grape (Parthenocissus inserta)

Girlish grapes attached

A fast-growing climbing plant with shoots 3 m long, in nature this species reaches 20-30 m.

Outwardly, it looks like a maiden five-leaf grape. But unlike him, the shoots are attached to the support with tendrils, and not with the help of sticky suction cups. Green shoots become covered with grayish bark with age.

Leaves reach 5-12 cm in length. They consist of 3-5 shiny oval-shaped leaves with a sharp end. They are dark green above, light green below. In autumn, the leaves turn dark red. The paniculate inflorescence consists of 10–75 small flowers.

Tricuspid (ivy) maiden grape (Parthenocissus tricuspidata)

Tri-pointed maiden grapes

Liana, 15–20 m long, comes from the Far East. It has large leaves 10–20 cm long in various shapes: heart-shaped, triangular, three-lobed. In spring, the leaves are bright red, in summer they are dark green with a gloss, and in autumn they change color to purple and yellow.

Many tendrils with suckers grow on the shoots. The flowers of the plant are small and inconspicuous. This species is prized for its ability to grow into a dense, flat and durable green carpet. It looks especially beautiful in autumn, when the thickets of grapes turn bright orange or purple.

Common garden forms: