Choosing a virgin vine: the most beautiful varieties

The most beautiful autumn foliage

Among the virgin vines, Parthenocissus (or true virgin vines) are the champions of autumn colours. Here are three that display the most beautiful colours at the end of the season.

The Parthenocissus quinquefolia ‘Kirigami’ is a variety of true virgin vine. It features particularly decorative foliage, finely cut, that turns scarlet red earlier in the season than usual cultivars. This is a climbing plant with non-adhesive tendrils equipped with suckers that allow it to cling to any support provided without risk of damage.

Much less known, Henry’s virgin vine or Parthenocissus henryana is a virgin vine native to China, featuring climbing stems with suckers. It is valued for its foliage with 5 leaflets that are green with white veins in season, turning red in autumn. Its inflorescences give way to dark blue berries at the end of summer.

Also among the less commonly cultivated Parthenocissus, the Parthenocissus tricuspidata ‘Atropurpurea’ is another climbing virgin vine with suckers. It bears wavy, deciduous leaves that are burgundy red in spring. Over the seasons, the foliage changes to bronze in summer and purple red in autumn. Its inflorescences also give way to dark blue-black berries.

Parthenocissus henryana

The most beautiful fruiting

It is mainly within the genus Ampelopsis that the most decorative fruits can be found. Notably with Ampelopsis glandulosa var. maximowiczii, a moderately growing virgin vine that is still rarely cultivated. Its ornamental appeal lies mainly in its astonishing fruiting: the plant is covered from the end of summer with slightly frosted, pale green berries, which then turn turquoise and eventually violet with age. This little-known climber also showcases stunning autumn colours.

The Vitis coignetiae is an ornamental vine distinguished by large heart-shaped leaves, light green on top, covered with a grey down underneath, gradually turning yellow, then coppery orange, and finally wine red to scarlet in autumn. But this vine is also decorative thanks to its fruits (inedible!) which are dark blue and gathered in large clusters.

Vitis coignetiae

The most astonishing foliage

In addition to beautiful autumn foliage and sometimes spectacular fruiting, ornamental vines can also reveal foliage that is as surprising as it is decorative during the “growing season”. This is the case for certain varieties with variegated leaves.

The Ampelopsis glangulosa var. maximowiczii ‘Elegans’ is a moderately growing virgin vine with variegated foliage. Its beautiful vine leaves are initially green marbled with pink, then speckled with white, before taking on a vibrant autumn colour. The fruiting is not to be overlooked, as it produces fruits that change from green to blue and then to purple. This climbing plant attaches itself using tendrils in semi-shaded areas of the garden, even in relatively dry conditions during summer. Unfortunately, it has a relative hardiness, risking disappearance below -12/-14 °C.

The Parthenocissus quinquefolia ‘Star Shower’ is a climbing plant with tendrils, hardy and easy to grow. Its changing foliage is stunning: the young spring shoots are pink, the leaves are variegated with white and green during the season, then turn pinkish-red in autumn.

The Ampelopsis brevipedunculata ‘Elegans’ is a small virgin vine, ideal for covering a small trellis. The deciduous foliage is variegated in different shades of green, white, and pink, providing a permanent display from spring to autumn. The fruits are initially greyish-purple, then take on a turquoise hue. This small climbing plant is moderately hardy and may suffer from severe cold.

Ampelopsis brevipedunculata Elegans

The best groundcovers

Climbing plants can sometimes spread across the ground. This is particularly true for some virgin vines that turn out to be fantastic groundcovers.

The Parthenocissus tricuspidata ‘Minutifolia’ is a virgin vine with moderate growth, making it suitable for use as a groundcover. Its beautiful deciduous foliage, formed of medium-sized lobed leaves, bright light green in summer, takes on stunning bronze and scarlet red hues in autumn. It is easy to grow in full sun, partial shade, or even in shade, in ordinary but deep and well-prepared soil.

Parthenocissus tricuspidata ‘Minutifolia’

A beautiful rarity!

Ampelopsis are rarely cultivated: wrongly, as they are stunning, especially in late summer and autumn. Since these ornamental vines are seldom planted, it can already be said that all Ampelopsis are rarities. However, one of them is even more so: Ampelopsis aconitifolia or Aconite-leaved Virginia Creeper.

This ornamental vine charms with its lightly textured, deeply lobed foliage, resembling that of an aconite, turning yellow in autumn. Its small green flowers give way to yellow then orange berries at the end of the season. It is also worth noting that it withstands both the cold of its native Chinese mountains and the arid Provençal summers and tolerates calcareous soils well. In short, a rarity worth trying!

Ampelopsis aconitifolia