Family Vitaceae
Originating from Asia.
Received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.
- Deciduous climber with palmate, strikingly marked, silver-veined leaves.
- Brilliant scarlet autumn foliage followed by blue-black berries.
- Easy to grow in any soil, sun or shade.
Ornate, smart and strikingly well presented, its large palmate leaves have a matte velvety looking colour with beautiful pure white markings.
Their three to five leaflets are gracefully held, showing off their bold variegation, giving the whole plant a neat and organised appearance. Their blazing scarlet autumn display spectacularly brighten Norfolk or Suffolk walled gardens, woodland trees, or trellises and arbours. It reaches 8m high, 3m wide in 5–10 years.
Its woody stems cling via tendrils with adhesive pads, bearing their luxuriant shroud of leaves, denser in north or northwest facing positions. It creates cosy nesting sites for birds, and in autumn its black mini grape-like fruits feed them. We rarely recommend deciduous plants for contemporary gardens, but the sophisticated character of the Chinese Virginia Creeper lends itself to modern outdoor spaces.
Care Tips for Silver Vein Creeper Henryana
- Soil and Sun: Grows in any well-drained soil; lusher in part shade, adaptable to full sun.
- Planting: Plant at any time of year, water with extra diligence if planting in summer. Quickly supports itself on walls, pergolas or trees.
- Watering: Water thoroughly in first season; tolerates dry conditions once established.
- Pruning: Prune hard if desired to any shape in late winter. Trim unwanted stems at any time.
Vigorous yet controllable, this climber adapts to wildlife and woodland areas in Suffolk’s country gardens. In urban Norfolk spaces it adds a serene backdrop to oriental or cottage gardens. Hardy and reliable, its outstanding summer foliage and spectacular autumn colours make it an Urban Jungle climbing go-to.
Planting Suggestions for Parthenocissus henryana
Create a creeping display of ascending, strikingly marked foliage. Add beautifully variegated and distinctively shaped climbers to all levels of walls, pergolas and trellises alongside the Chinese Virginia Creeper. Trachelospermum ‘Theta’, ‘Summer Sunset’ and ‘Variegatum’ add intricately marked leaves and scent. Schizophragma ‘Moonlight’s leaves display a silvery, dark-veined sheen in harmony with it, adding a summer display of beautiful white flowers.
Clad oriental arches, English arbours, Norfolk’s flint walls or Suffolk’s timber barns with Parthenocissus henryana’s outstanding foliage. Its incendiary autumn colours equal those of many acers, including ‘Yasemin’, ‘Bloodgood’, ‘Sango-kaku’ and ‘Trompenburg’. After providing a lush backdrop for their delicate crowns all summer, it joins them for an autumn finale of kaleidoscopic colour.
