Family Vitaceae.
Garden/plantation origin.
- Large, lobed green leaves with spectacular autumn colour create a lush, vigorous canopy.
- Sweet, seedless green grapes hang in generous bunches from late summer.
- Easy to grow and productive on a sunny wall or perfola.
The Seedless Green Grape Vine in Your Garden
Abundant, large, lobed leaves form a dense green canopy through the summer months. Its self-twining stems quickly thicken to form a stout framework, with peeling bark that soon gives them an ancient look. Making the perfect shade plant for pergolas, they end the season in spectacular markings and colours.
Vitis ‘Superior Seedless’ is hardy in all except the coldest northern and exposed UK gardens. A vigorous grapevine, it can reach 4–6m or more in 5-10 years when trained on a wall or strong support. In Norfolk, it is ideal for a warm, south-facing flint wall, where the sun’s heat can ripen the fruit. Suffolk’s country garden pergolas over south-facing patios provide a sun-drenched framework.
A more reliable, heavy-cropping vine than older varieties, it produces medium- to large, seedless grapes with a sweet, refreshing flavour and a pleasant crunch. Bunches are well-formed and often quite heavy when the plant is established.
Did you know?
The grapevine was cultivated as early as 7000BC, and evidence of winemaking has been found in Georgia since 6000BC.
Growing Tips for Your Seedless Green Grape Vine, Vitis ‘Superior Seedless’
- Soil and sun: Well-drained, fertile soil. Full sun is essential for good ripening.
- Planting: at any time of year. Never plant a dry plant! Plunge the pot or stand in water for 15 minutes to drench the root ball before planting. Train onto strong wires or a wall support from the start.
- Watering: regularly in its first season while rooting out. For optimal cropping, water frequently as the fruit swells.
- Feeding: Apply a high-potash fertiliser from late spring through summer for maximum cropping.
- Pruning: One established prune hard in winter, leaving a framework of thick stems with younger green stems trimmed back to two or three buds.
Vitis ‘Superior Seedless’ was developed in California as a reliable seedless table grape. It has become popular with UK gardeners because it crops well in warm summers and produces sweet, seedless fruit without the need for complicated pollination. With a sunny wall and proper pruning, it can provide generous harvests of homegrown grapes for many years.
