Marcy, I planted 4 bittersweet along our fence to give us privacy by the swing. They have done wonderful, but so far no berries. Supposedly I have 1 male and 3 female. They were planted summer of 2002. I have to keep cutting them back at the top of the 8 foot fence. Once this summer I let them grow until they reached up to the tree, then cut them back.
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another view taken earlier in the summer
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Mary Lu

Oh my goodness that looks absoultely lovely on your trellis/fence! I hope mine gets that big, though I'm sure it will. Perhaps I should plant them behind our house on a fence. Did you buy yours like I did at a nursery or did you get starters from someone? Like I said, these are established plants, and they have berries now, but there was also a whole lot more plants there, male and female, to pollinate each other. :o/

My dad planted a pair about 20 years ago, and as of this year, they (it?) are completely covering the 10 x 10 ft. trellis and have surged up a nearby ash tree -- tops out around 25 feet, I think. Thank goodness it's at the edge of a 'wilderness area' rather than in a garden.
He gets berries, too, and they are fertile, although there are only a few young plants here and there.
Should I bring some to the swap meet in Morse next spring?

They have a swap meet in Morse? LOL That's kind of funny! It's such a tiny little villiage! I'm sure folks would buy it up. I would...and did! You could probably sell some sprigs for fall decorations. Especially if your dad has that much. You won't miss it much :)

I bought mine at a nursery too. So far I am very happy with them. I do know that I will have to continue to "prune" them to keep them in check, but that's ok. Even if I don't get berries I won't mind toooo much. They do provide the privacy that I wanted and that was the main thing. The berries would be an added plus.
Mary Lu

MsStFrancis2U - Yes, tiny Morse has a gardeners swap meet in the spring, but everything is traded - there's no buying or selling. If you're curious, come join us -- it's educational as well as a good source of new plants and ideas. It's listed on the Exchanges board of this forum.

If I brought any bittersweet, it would be young plants potted up for someone to take home and plant.

If anyone is interested, I need to tell him so they aren't weeded out.

Here is a link that might be useful: Iowa Exchanges

I suspect there will be many "takers" if you bring bittersweet to the plant swap. I would love some.

Rhoda

I have some bittersweet growing in shrubbery from the previous house owners. I have tried to pull it out, but it keeps coming back.. It gets no berries..do you think it might get berries if planted out in the open?