John wrote:

We have a VC on our (brick) gable end, it has been there for approx 12
years. I don't actually 'train it' but I get my ladders out 2 or 3 times a
year and cut off all the new growth to leave a neat square about 15 feet
wide and 20 foot high.


Our house is engulfed inside several virginia creepers. We didn't so
much buy a house as a plant ;-). It self clings to the stone walls and
doesn't need any support or training. Like you I used to get the ladder
out and trim it off high because it fouls the guttering. However, my
policy now is just to use a pair of steps and cut it off every spring
just above the ground floor windows. By the end of the year it is up to
the guttering again! I don't know how old the plants are but they have
trunks at the base two or three inches diameter. Looks lovely in Autumn
as the leaves all turns red.

--
David in Normandy.
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