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eastautumn

Wisteria and Other 'Invasive' Vines

eastautumn
12 years ago

I've noticed several mentions in threads on this forum that wisteria is invasive here. Is that from personal experience in growing it your gardens? I'm curious because I've heard that it isn't invasive around here, both from a landscape designer and also from a friend who has one in his garden in the Boulder area. I'm thinking of growing several of them up an arbor, but am nervous to plant anything that would try to take over our garden and be a thug.

I've also read that trumpet vine is horribly invasive, but have seen it growing in our neighborhood in harmony with other plants and it doesn't seem to be taking over. Ditto for honeysuckle vines. One vine that does seem to be invasive here is silver lace vine, which I've seen climbing and strangling trees around here so I definitely will never plant that in my garden.

I only have personal experience with clematis vines, though I've stayed away from Sweet Autumn Clematis for fear that it could take over. I love vines and would love to branch out and try some other than clematis. If you have personal experience growing vines in zone 5a in Colorado (or similar conditions) I'd love to know what you're experience with them has been.

Comments (3)

  • david52 Zone 6
    12 years ago

    A lot of this invasiveness has to do with the amount of water/irrigation is available to the plants - so you will see that wisteria, trumpet vine, and honeysuckle can be a real problem along ditches and in yards where they water heavily.

    I planted a wisteria to grow up a standing dead tree, about 15 feet from my pond. It behaved just fine for the first 5 years, and then, I suspect, the roots hit the moist soil near the pond and I had a monster on my hands - growing a foot a week, and then in a wind storm, the whole shebang came down, breaking the wrist-sized stem off at the ground. So up came a forest of small vines. It took me a couple of years to get rid of it.

    I still have a species of sweet autumn clematis around, planted that thing by the gate and it was setting roots where ever a stem touched, and the seeds went everywhere, starting new plants. I'm still trying to get rid of it.

    My neighbor has a honey suckle that is 40+ years old, and he mows the little plants coming up from the roots.

    I'm a fan of Clematis.

  • sorie6 zone 6b
    12 years ago

    I think any vine will be invasive if not controlled! I want to try the Sweet Autumn Clem. this yr.
    good luck.

  • gardenbutt
    12 years ago

    Years ago we had some pretty heavy discussions about some of the invasive vines here at GW.Course that was on the vine forum and others made comments about their areas which are so different from the rockies,Hence the rocky group,,LOL
    Wisteria for example, differences range from the Chinese (Common) to the Aunt Dee which is bred out of Minnesota if I remember correctly.
    As explained above water issues can make a difference as well as locations and lighting.Here northern MT we do not have as long of growing season so seed heads usually do not ripen from most vines.
    .Ourselves here in Montana we have several Aunt Dees and one common been in since 05.None of them have taken off wildly, none have bloomed either.We also have two hybrid Trumpet vines.The yellow has grown nicely but very slowly compared to what I saw back east.Humidity levels seem to contribute so much to vines as well.Especially those with any type of aerial rooting system.
    In the past we have had in sweet clematis which is still beautiful and hard to get a start off.Grows over the door way at my old home has been in for 13 years from an exchange on this site.
    Honeysuckle well we have in the Japanese which everyone said would be a huge problem, It barely grows compared to the hybrids which we put in that were not invasive.
    I always tell people it in your choice , think about what could happen and if you really want to have to worry about dealing with a possible invasive.It comes down to being responsible for your own planting actions.In my case I already knew the differences with what we put in and how they would basically react with the differences in locations and areas based on their invasive habits.