Parthenocissus quinquefolia Kirigami- Virginia Creeper

The  Parthenocissus quinquefolia 'Kirigami' is a new variety of Virginia Creeper with particularly decorative foliage, finely cut, which turns scarlet red earlier in the season than usual cultivars. It is a climbing plant with non-adhesive tendrils equipped with suction cups that allow it to cling to any support without risking damage. It will crawl into a tree, cover an old wall, creep into a hedge, adorn a facade, or cascade in a picturesque manner from walls and containers. 

The Partenocissus quinquefolia 'Kirigami' is a German horticultural creation from Cultivaris. Its ancestor, also known as Ampelopsis quinquefolia, Vitis quinquefolia, or Virginia Creeper, is a plant from the Vitaceae family, just like the grape varieties used for wine production. It is a climbing shrub native to North America, widespread in Canada, the United States (Minnesota, Florida), Mexico, and Guatemala. This untamed and very hardy Virginia Creeper has naturalised in many countries, including France and England.

The 'Kirigami' variety is a slightly less vigorous form, developing smaller leaves with complex cutting, with 5 toothed leaflets, the leaflets being deeply incised. They turn more vividly and earlier in autumn. The plant, with fast growth, will reach a height of 10 to 12 m (33 to 39ft), with a spread of 6 to 7 m (20 to 23ft). It bears deciduous leaves, 8 to 12 cm (3 to 5in) long, glossy, of a medium green colour. In September-October, the foliage turns bright red. On the stem, opposite the leaf insertion point, either a tendril or a cluster of flowers develops. Each tendril has 7 to 8 branches that bend to form a small hook. Upon contact with the support, this small hook can form a ball secreting sticky substances. The flowering, quite inconspicuous, takes place in June-July, then gives way to small round fruits of blue-black colour, not edible by mammals but appreciated by birds.

The Parthenocissus 'Kirigami', elegant but ultimately quite discreet amidst the surrounding greenery, transforms any support in autumn into a sumptuous cloak of almost obsessive scarlet red. This Virginia Creeper is hardy down to -25°C, it grows in deep, preferably clayey soil, in shaded, semi-shaded, or even sunny locations. Once well established, the plant tolerates drought very well, which allows it to be planted on the edges of a large garden, in a somewhat wild spot, on a shaded slope that is never watered, even in the Mediterranean. Pruning without constraints at any time of the year keeps the plant in its space. Generous, ample, and resplendent, the Parthenocissus quinquefolia 'Kirigami' is an easy-to-grow climber, ornamental, but also very useful for covering walls and facades in all regions, due to its thermal regulation properties for buildings.