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PLANT OF THE MONTH
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Bright leaves bring colour to your yard
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Look no further than easy-to-grow Thicket Creeper, Parthenocissus vitacea, for brilliant orange and crimson fall colours. These vines are a wonderful way to add fast-growing coverage to a bare fence or forgotten corner. But be aware, they are vigorous growers that like to roam.
Reaching up to ten metres (30 feet) long, these low-climbing vines possess twining tendrils that often require a trellis or netting. In this way, Thicket Creeper differs from its look-alike, Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), which climbs by clinging to rough surfaces with small, adhesive disks. Both plants can be found in local nurseries, so refer to the Latin name to ensure you’re purchasing the plant you want.
Thicket Creeper grows in full sun to part shade, in sand, loam, clay or gravelly soils. Its five-fingered leaves provide excellent cover for visiting birds, and in late summer, many species will eat its dark blue berries.
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CARING FOR YOUR YARD
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Use pruners to keep your vine in check
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Pruning and Managing Vines
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Here are some tips to keep a vigorous climbing vine healthy and under control.
Prune to control
Use pruning to direct and limit plant growth. Reducing a vine's mass reduces its weight and allows light and air in. Remove tangled stems and trim any that are growing away from the supports.
Prune at the right time
Vines you’re growing for their foliage, like Thicket Creeper, can be pruned throughout the garden season, but pruning in early spring, before it leafs out, or later in the fall, after leaf-drop, will be less stressful for the plant. Vines that flower in early spring, like Climbing Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens), flower on shoots produced the previous year and should be pruned immediately after their flowers fade. Vines that flower in summer and fall, on current year's growth, such as Virgin's-bower (Clematis viginiana), should be pruned in late winter or early spring. Remove dead, diseased, damaged or unproductive stems at any time of year.
Prune for success
When removing unhealthy vines, make sure to cut all the way back to healthy growth. Always cut back to a lateral shoot or bud and cut to a bud or stem that is pointing in the direction you want the vine to go. Cut cleanly and don't leave a stub, which becomes an inviting location for bugs and diseases.
To avoid unintentional damage, never tug or pull a vine. While pruning, check that your vine’s supports are in good condition.
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DID YOU KNOW
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Vines provide habitat for birds
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Who's Hiding in that Vine?
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Vines climb and crawl, twisting around each other creating a dense web of vegetation. These spots are the perfect place for birds to seek shelter. It’s not unusual to pass a well-developed vine and hear a variety of tweets and chirps coming from inside.
Small birds weave their way through stems and leaves to seek protection from predators and shelter from the elements. Depending on how and where the vine is growing, they can also create or enhance nest sites.
If a vine is trailing on the ground around other small shrubs, it creates an enticing spot for a Song or Chipping Sparrow to nest. It’s not unusual to find a Northern Cardinal nesting in shrubs covered in a vine or a Gray Catbird nesting right in the vine itself.
Not only do vines provide great cover for local birds, they help keep their bellies full too. Most native vines host many different species of caterpillars, an important food source for many birds throughout the year. This is particularly important during nesting season when most birds rely on insects to feed their hungry babies.
Vines like Wild Grape and Thicket Creeper produce berries in the late summer that are eaten by a variety of migrating birds, like orioles and warblers, and resident birds such as chickadees, robins, woodpeckers and even wild turkeys.
During fall migration, the shelter and food provided by vines becomes particularly important for birds. After traveling all night, a safe place to rest and nutrient-filled fruit can be a life saver.
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EVENTS
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Residential rain garden
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Rainscaping
Rain gardens, rain chains and soakaways can be beautiful ways to manage rainwater on your property. Discover which approach is best for your yard.
Wed., Oct. 9, 7 - 8:15 p.m.
Vic Johnston Arena, 335 Church Street, Streetsville, Mississauga
Register online
Fletchers Creek SNAP Launch and Community Tree Planting
Join us at the official launch of Fletchers Creek Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Plan (SNAP).
SNAP brings residents and community leaders together to take local action and build resilience to climate change in mature neighbourhoods.
Sat., Oct. 5, 10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Chris Gibson Park, 125 McLaughlin Road, Brampton
Register online
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At Credit Valley Conservation, we create connections between people and nature, knowledge and action. We lead the protection, restoration and enhancement of our local natural environment, and we inspire a deep appreciation for the role of nature in keeping us connected, healthy and happy.
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