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Tim Downie · 08-07-2009, 01:45 PM posted to uk.d-i-y,uk.rec.gardening

Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:
In message , Charlie
Pridham writes
In article ,
says...
Having sweated blood in removing a common ivy that was growing up
the gable of our house, I'd now like to train a Virginia creeper up
there instead. There's been a VC growing by the gable end for some time
but it's
never been able to get a good enough grip on the painted pebbledash
to gain any height. What's the best thing to train it up? Trellis,
plastic mesh, vine eyes & wire or something else?

If you have true Virginia creeper (parthenocissus quinquefolia) then
it will require some help to stay up there as it becomes woody and
heavy and will rip off the wall, a few wires and vine eyes should be
enough. If however you have what is often called wrongly virginia
creeper in the UK but is what the americans call Bostan Ivy
(Parthenocissus
tricuspidata) then it should stay up on its own. They are easy to
tell apart and the clue is in the latin names quinquefolia = 5
leafleted leaves, tricuspidata 3 lobed leaves. other than that they
do similar autumn colour

From the failure to climb I suspect that he has Parthenocissus
vitacea, which differs from Parthenocissus quinquefolia in lacking
the adhesive disks.

No, it has the adhesive disks, they just didn't seem to either stick well or
be able to bear the weight of the foliage.

Tim