Schisandra chinensis
Schisandra
Common names: Five-flavor berry, Magnolia vine
At a glance
- Light
- Partial shade
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −30 °C
- Pruning
- Feb–Mar
- Harvest
- Sep–Oct
- Spacing
- 150 cm, rows 200 cm
- Water need
- Medium
Description
Schisandra chinensis is a hardy climber from East Asia that produces bright red berries in loose clusters in autumn. In traditional Chinese medicine it is considered the fruit of the five tastes, sweet, sour, bitter, pungent, and salty, at once. The plant is dioecious, requiring both male and female specimens for fruit set. It can climb to 8 m on trellises or fences and is well suited to semi‑shaded garden edges or under light trees. The berries are very sour when eaten raw and are usually dried or made into syrup.
Care instructions
Plant Schisandra in a semi‑shaded to sunny spot with a humus‑rich, well‑drained soil; it tolerates full sun less well. Provide a sturdy trellis at planting so the shoots can develop strongly from May to June. Keep the soil consistently moist, especially during the first two years, but avoid waterlogging. In late winter prune away excess and woody shoots to allow light and air to reach the fruiting wood. A mulch layer of leaf or bark compost protects the roots over winter and keeps the soil moist.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingMar–Apr
HarvestSep–Oct
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 2 °C, ideally 10 °C
- Days to sprout
- 60 to 180 days
- Light
- Sprouts in light or dark
- Sowing depth
- 0.5 cm
- How to start
- Start indoors, then plant out
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, humus-rich, nutrient-rich, moist
Chinese magnolia vine likes a loose, humus-rich soil that holds moisture but does not allow waterlogging. A slightly acidic soil suits it best; the plant avoids chalky sites. Enrich the planting spot with well-rotted compost before planting and mulch the root zone so it does not dry out in summer.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
Mar, May
In spring, give the plant a portion of mature compost or well-rotted manure at the root zone. A second, lighter dose in May supports flowering and fruit set. The Chinese magnolia vine needs nothing more; as a woodland-edge liana it is rather undemanding.
Pruning
In late winter, before growth starts, cut out shoots that are too crowded and old shoots, so that light and air reach the inside of the climber. Guide the main shoots along a trellis or espalier, because the Chinese magnolia vine can put on several metres a year. A summer cut-back is usually not necessary, unless the plant spreads beyond its space.
Overwintering
As a deciduous climber, the Chinese magnolia vine is hardy and gets through Central European winters without special protection. For young plants and in harsh locations, a mulch layer over the roots before the first frost is worthwhile. Cutting back the shoots in late winter also makes the start into the new year easier.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Cuttings
- Layering
The most reliable way to propagate it is by layering: lay a flexible shoot close to the ground in a shallow groove, weigh it down with soil and wait until it forms its own roots. Semi-ripe cuttings in summer also root with a little patience, best under a plastic cover with constant moisture. Sowing is possible, but needs cold stratification over winter and takes several years to the first flowers. Since the Chinese magnolia vine is dioecious, you need a male and a female plant close together for fruit.
For your garden
Grow Schisandra yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
Free, no time limit
Varieties
2 varieties‘Eastern Prince’
You will find that the ‚Eastern Prince’ is a cultivar of Schisandra chinensis, known as Vitalbeere, Chinese berry grape, or Spaltkörbchen.
‘Sadova’
Sadova No.1 is a Ukrainian, self-fertile variety of the magnolia vine (Schisandra chinensis), a hardy, twining climber with red, grape-like fruit clusters.
Notes from real gardens
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