Five Leaf Akebia
The Chocolate Vine, 'Akebia quinata', will grow to the size of its support structure, sometimes growing up to 40’ tall. This twining woody vine can also be used as a groundcover and should be planted in full sun. The stems are divided into five, or sometimes fewer, and the small stems meet in a central zone. Akebia has oval shaped foliage that starts purple and mature into a blue-green. Although flowers are unusual, they may appear in late March to early April and are fragrant. The fruits are purple-violet and will ripen in late September into early October. Akebia is deciduous in cool climates and remain evergreen in warmer regions. Because it is a rapid grower, one will need to cut back Akebia throughout the season and to the ground at the end of the summer. Plant this vine in optimal soil texture for best results. ... additional info
Blue Chinese Wisteria Blue Chinese Wisteria, Wisteria sinensis, is a twining, woody vine valued for its pendulous clusters of extremely fragrant violet-blue flowers. Chinese Wisteria is a shade tolerant vine, but it only blooms when grown in partial to full sun. It is perfect for covering patios, arbors or fences. This plant is often grown with multiple trunks but it can be trained to a single trunk as a small tree. Chinese Wisterias are deciduous. It is a fast grower with stems to 25 feet or longer. The vine often climbs trees, and is most striking when seen in full bloom draped from the limbs of a high pine. Leaves consist of 7 to 13 leaflets of large size; after flowering, very attractive, velvety pods are produced, containing seed. It is probably best used for training to grow onto an arbor where flowers can droop and form a fragrant ceiling of color.
