Or as I like to call it, tropical Wisteria.
And it really does remind me of wisteria. Long racemes in either purple or white, drip from the vine.
Although it is certainly possible to train it into a tree form as well.
Apparently the leaves have a rough texture, leading to a common name of Sandpaper vine, a not very attractive name for such a pretty flower.
But looking it up online, I also found the names Queen’s Wreath, Purple Wreath, and the prettiest of all, Fleur de Dieu.
I know, I know! Ampelopsis brevipedunculata is invasive in parts of the United States, although I think that is the species, not the variegated cultivar Elegans’. But I have been growing this plant for 4 years now, and have not found a single seedling yet!
I know it is possible though, my mum grew this in Niagara, and had a few seedlings every year. But it was a very popular plant, everyone wanted it, so I really had to beg to get one, lol.
Luckily I got one and I chose to plant it in my Kitchen Garden.
I think it is a lovely plant with soft green and white variegated leaves that emerge with a pink cast in the spring.
But the berries are what the plant is grown for,
they are called porcelain berry for a good reason.
You can see why I chose this colour for the tower in the middle of the garden.
If you can’t identify what this tower was formerly, you can read about it here.
I was sitting on our porch last weekend , staring into space and daydreaming about what else I would like to accomplish at Kilbourne Grove. As I idly glanced around, I noticed, way, way up high a flash of something white. It was in a very overgrown cedar tree, and I wondered if a plastic bag had blown into it. I groaned, it had to be 20 feet in the air, there was no way I would be able to get it down, and I would have to look at it all the time!!!
I walked over for a closer look and guess what I saw?
At first, I thought that the neighbour on the other side of the cedar had a silver lace vine in their garden, and it had escaped, as the flowers look very similar.
But when I looked more closely, I could see a pale green stem twining through the cedar with maple leaf-shaped leaves on it.
It certainly is beautiful, and very unexpected, a little garden magic entering my garden.
Do you know who I am?
Green Theatre 