Russian vine

Russian vine: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Twining climber that reaches 10–15 m; the stems wind around any support.

Leaf

Alternate, 4–10 cm, heart- to arrow-shaped, light green, on reddish stalks.

Stems

Twining stems that become woody.

Flower

Masses of tiny white to pink flowers in panicles, from July to October.

Fruit

Small, three-sided nutlets with a pink wing.

Difference from traveller’s joy

Traveller’s joy has pinnate leaves and fluffy seed heads.

Difference from Japanese knotweed

A relative, but not a climber: hollow, bamboo-like stems, and highly invasive.

Flowering: July–October · Pruning: March–April and July–August

Identify by feature: Twining climbers

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Traveller’s joy Clematis vitalba: pinnate leaves and fluffy seed heads. Difference from Traveller’s joy
• Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica): a relative, but not a climber: hollow, bamboo-like stems and highly invasive.

Why grow it?

• Covers a fence, shed or ugly wall in a single season.
• Frothy white flowers from July to October, when many other climbers have finished.
• Lots of bees and hoverflies on the late flowers.
• Grows on almost any soil, in sun or partial shade.

Russian vine: where does it grow best?

• Sun to partial shade; it flowers most freely in sun.
• Any soil, dry or moist.
• Only against a large, sturdy support: a strong fence, pergola, shed or wire framework; never in a tree or against a house wall with gutters and roof tiles.
• Allow for 10–15 m of height and 4 m or more of width; after a few years it is very heavy.

Light

Sun or partial shade

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Dry to wet

Size

10 m tall, 4 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Traveller’s joy: A native alternative: it also grows fast, flowers white in summer and carries fluffy seed heads in winter.
• Hop: A native climber that quickly covers a fence every summer and dies back to the ground in winter: less work on the gutters.
• Common honeysuckle: Native, far less rampant, and wonderfully fragrant in the evening.

Good and bad companions

Best kept away from

• Twines around young trees and shrubs and can strangle them: hawthorn, goat willow, japanese cherry, judas tree, chusan palm, olive tree

Russian vine: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant a pot-grown plant in spring or autumn.
2. One plant is enough for a whole fence or shed.
3. Plant it 30–50 cm from the support and guide the first shoots to it with a cane or string.
4. Water in dry spells during the first year; after that it looks after itself.

Care

Watering

In dry spells during the first year; rarely needed after that.

Feeding

Not needed: it grows more than enough already.

Keeping it in check

In summer, cut off shoots heading for gutters, windows, the roof or neighbouring plants.

Support

Check every year that the support can still carry the weight.

Tip: Let Russian vine grow over a shed, an old fence or a sturdy wire framework, never into a tree: it throws a blanket over it and robs the tree of light.

Russian vine: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March–April and July–August.

When: Late March–April, and in summer as often as needed.

How:

• Cut it back hard in spring, very hard if need be; it soon grows back and flowers on the new shoots.
• In summer, keep gutters, windows and neighbouring plants clear by cutting off the runaway shoots.
• Every few years, remove old, tangled wood, or it becomes a heavy mass that only flowers at the top.

Caution: Birds often nest in the dense mass: check before you prune in summer.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cuttings

In summer, take semi-ripe cuttings of 10–15 cm and root them in a pot under plastic.

Layering

Lay a long stem on the ground and cover it with soil; after a few months it will have roots.

Russian vine: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Fully hardy; it drops its leaves in autumn.
• When it is bare in winter you can see how heavy the old wood has become: a good time to check the support.

Diseases and pests

• Rampant growth: It smothers trees, shrubs, gutters and roofs. Cut it back hard every year and never plant it near trees.
• Weight: An old plant is very heavy and can bring down a weak fence or pergola. Provide a sturdy structure and remove old wood.
• Bare base: After a few years it only flowers at the top, with a tangle of bare stems lower down. Cut it back hard in spring.

Through the year

• March: Late March: cut back hard; check the support.
• April: Finish pruning; planting.
• May: Growing fast: guide new shoots to the support.
• June: Remove shoots near gutters and windows.
• July: Flowering begins; summer pruning: keep gutters, windows and neighbouring plants clear.
• August: Full flower; summer pruning where needed; take cuttings.
• September: Flowers full of bees and hoverflies.
• October: Last flowers; planting is possible.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

For covering a fence, shed or ugly wall in a single season.

For wildlife

Lots of bees and hoverflies on the late flowers.

Caution: Smothers trees, shrubs and gutters; it needs a large, sturdy support.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Hoverflies

Open flowers for hoverflies; many of their larvae eat aphids.

Did you know?

• It grows four to five metres a year: ideal for quickly hiding a wall or shed, but it smothers everything nearby.
• In English it is also called ‘mile-a-minute’.
• The species name baldschuanica refers to Baldzhuan, a region of Tajikistan where it was found.
• Fallopia is named after the Italian anatomist Gabriele Falloppio, of Fallopian tube fame; baldschuanica refers to the Baldzhuan region of Tajikistan, where it comes from.
• It is related to the notorious Japanese knotweed. In English it is nicknamed ‘mile-a-minute’ for its breakneck growth.