Chocolate Vine
- Botanical Name
- Akebia longeracemosa. A. quinata
- Family
- Lardizabalaceae
- Plant Type
- Semi Evergreen Climber (Evergreen here in Dandenong Ranges)
- Size (HxW)
- 3-15m x 30-200cm
- Depth & Spacing
- Plant at the same level as in the pot with the roots spread evenly below the soil surface. Spacing will be depending on how you are growing your plant. You can let it ramble as a ground cover, or provide it with something to climb e.g. obelisk, pergola, shrub.
- Soil
- Moderately fertile to humus rich, well drained soil. They don’t like disturbance so are best in a permanent position.
- Aspect
- Full sun to semi shade or filtered light. Protect from the hot afternoon sun, they are woodland plants
- Climate
- Cool to Sub Tropical
- Frost
- Hardy to -10C. Late spring frosts could damage flowers/foliage but they bounce back quickly.
- Water
- Water in to establish, this can take four to six weeks of regular watering. Once they have settled in you only need to worry if rainfall is low, they really are quite self sufficient.
- Fertiliser
- In poor soils a light application of an all purpose fertiliser in spring. They aren’t heavy feeders.
- Flowering Time
- Spring to summer
- After Flower Care
- A light prune to tidy/control growth.
- Notes
- If they are cross pollinated (with a different seedling/variety/clone) then the flowers can be followed by edible fruits. Hand pollination is the most effective method. Seed is viable, cuttings are slow to establish.
