Akebia quinata, commonly known as Chocolate Vine, is a perennial that can sometimes be vigorous to a fault. However, we tend to forgive the faults of things with "chocolate" in their names, and this vine is no exception.
Chocolate Vine gets its moniker from the rich purplish-brown blooms that smother the vine and the flowers' delicate chocolate scent. Chocolate-scented flowers are unusual, especially in the form of hardy perennials, so this one attribute may endear you to this flowering vine.
Planting
Plant the Chocolate Vine in spring or fall in well-drained soil. If you want to grow fruit, plant at least two vines to increase the chances of pollination and fruiting.
You can propagate the vine through softwood cuttings if you only have one plant. Water weekly until the vines are established, then water during drought so plants get at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water per week.
General Care
Chocolate Vine is a light feeder and doesn't require supplemental flower fertilizer. However, you can provide trace nutrients for vines growing in poor soil by mulching with compost or well-rotted manure.
Akebia quinata will climb on supports or scramble up to 40 feet (12 m). Because of its vigorous growth habit, many gardeners prune the Chocolate Vine back to ground level in late winter to keep it in check. You can also lightly prune the vine to help it look tidy after flowering.
Practice good stewardship of the land by not allowing Chocolate Vine to escape your landscape into neighboring woodland areas. In some areas, it has displaced native plants with dense vegetation. The vines can choke out small trees when left untended in wild areas.
Source: thespruce.com
Links
- Back to genus Akebia
- Plantpedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, or Origin