About
A robust and hardy semi-evergreen vine featuring appealing leaves and dark reddish-purple flowers that emit a chocolate fragrance. It is a natural hybrid resulting from the cross between A. quinata and A. trifoliata.
About the genus
Akebia are robust, semi-evergreen climbing shrubs that twine as they grow. They feature either palmate or trifoliate leaves and produce racemes of cup-shaped flowers, with the female flowers being purplish and larger than the smaller male ones. If cross-pollinated with a different clone, they will bear large, sausage-shaped fruits.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, North-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed, Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H6
Plant details
- Plant type
- Climber Wall Shrub
- Habit
- Climbing
- Foliage
- Semi evergreen
- Height
- 8-12 metres
- Spread
- wider than 8 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Fragrance
- Flower
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Thrives in any good garden soil, but resents root disturbance. Avoid east-facing positions to reduce risk of frost damage to young growth
- Pruning
- Pruning group 11 after flowering
- Propagation
- Propagate by layering or softwood cuttings
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely)