"John Wheeler" wrote in message . ..
On Wed, 02 Apr 2003 22:21:29 +0000, N. Thornton wrote:


Akebia is listed as an invasive species in southeastern Pennsylvania, so
it should produce fruit wherever you plant it.

Yes, I'm told it only manages to ripen them some years tho, so I guess it
will need south facing. Akebia Quinata is the chocolate plant, hardy too.
Different plant to the famous one, similar taste.

Fascinating. I knew they had edible fruits, but I had never heard that
they taste like chocolate.

You definitely don't want to overly pamper apples, especially if you are
subject to late frosts. The flowers will open early and be killed off.
The west wall would be okay, but fruit trees generally do better if they
get plenty of air circulation.

How would this affect ripening? Apples are generally given south walls
here. Although our winters are quite a bit milder, so are our summers.

Ah, I didn't realize you had mild summers, too. That could make a big
difference. If people around you generally give apples south walls, then it
probably is better *for the apples* to do so. Then the question becomes
whether that is the optimal use for the space. If you really want akebia,
then it should still probably get the prime spot. (After all, you can
always buy apples in the store.) On the other hand, akebia is a vine, so
it should be possible to grow it in the same space as the apples, if it
doesn't overpower them. I would definitely double-check that it doesn't
become invasive in your area, though; it is becoming a real problem in the
US: http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/akqu1.htm

Best of luck.
++JohnWheeler


Thanks JOhn, good input. The apples are actually the more useful for
me, so I think I'll let akebia take the 2nd best place, where it gets
afternoon sun. Being a fast climber it will soon get full sun at the
top of the fence. That seems like a good plan to me.

Thanks, NT