Akebia quinata
Chocolate vine
Common names: Five-leaf akebia, Akebia
At a glance
- Light
- Partial shade
- Hardiness
- Hardy with protection
- Pruning
- Feb–Mar
- Flowering
- Apr–May
Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Description
Akebia quinata, commonly known as Akebia, is a semi‑evergreen twining shrub native to East Asia. With its five‑parted leaves and aromatic flowers in April, it turns any fence or pergola into a blooming curtain. The small dark violet flowers smell like chocolate, hence the nickname Chocolate Vine. After warm summers, the plant produces sausage‑shaped, violet fruits in autumn with sweet, gelatinous flesh that can be eaten raw; however, the plant usually requires a second clone nearby for good fruit set. Akebia climbs vigorously and can reach several meters, so it is best supported by a sturdy trellis. Note: Only the ripe fruit pulp is edible. Bark, leaves, and especially the seeds contain bitter and irritant compounds and should not be eaten; in gardens with children and pets, it is advisable to ensure that only the fruit interior is sampled.
Care instructions
Provide Akebia with a trellis or fence to climb on; it grows vigorously and needs a strong pruning in late winter during the first years to prevent it from becoming too dense. Water young plants regularly, especially during dry summer weeks; mature specimens are relatively tolerant when placed in sheltered locations. For good fruit production, plant two different clones or seedlings, as self‑pollination is often weak. In harsh conditions, winter protection at the base, such as a layer of leaf litter or straw mulch, helps the roots survive severe frosts. A sunny to partially shaded spot on a warm wall promotes both abundant flowering and fruit ripening in autumn.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringApr–May
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, humus-rich, moist, nutrient-rich
The chocolate vine likes a loose, humus-rich garden soil that holds moisture without becoming waterlogged. It copes well with slightly acidic to neutral soils, and if you give it a good portion of compost at planting, it thanks you with vigorous growth. Very lime-rich, very dry or compacted soils noticeably hold it back.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
Apr, Jun
One dose of mature compost in spring is usually enough for the chocolate vine for the whole season. If it grows in rather lean soil, you can top up once more in early summer with horn shavings or rotted manure. Newly planted specimens welcome a mulch layer that keeps the soil evenly moist and slowly releases nutrients.
Pruning
Cut the chocolate vine back in late winter, while it is not yet in growth, to steer its vigorous growth along a trellis or pergola. In doing so, remove shoots that grow too densely or have become bare so that light and air reach the interior. Pruning after flowering is also possible, but then costs you part of the next flush of flowers.
Overwintering
The chocolate vine is sufficiently hardy in most parts of Germany and loses its leaves in hard winters, but stays semi-evergreen in mild regions. Protect young plants and newly planted specimens in the first years with a mulch layer of leaves or straw over the root zone. In very exposed, windy spots, fleece around the lower shoots helps in addition.
Propagation
Methods
- Cuttings
- Layering
- From seed
You propagate the chocolate vine most reliably by semi-ripe cuttings, which you take in summer and insert in free-draining seed compost. Layering also works well: lay a long, flexible shoot in a shallow groove, cover it with soil and wait until it has formed roots of its own before you separate it from the mother plant. Sowing is possible, but takes much longer to the first flowering and does not always give offspring that come true to type.
For your garden
Grow Chocolate vine yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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