Two months? Give it time, it will expand, and expand, and expand, like Kudzu. Have you researched this vine?

http://www.invasive.org/weedcd/species/10090.htm

The last pic is scary. Clematis don't do that, that I know of, except maybe sweet autumn.

Have a beautiful white-flowered one, that fulfills the reputation as far too vigorous. No seed, thankfully, but like a foaming green thing, constantly needing pruning.
And, I think the pruning might encourage shoots to show up far from the parent. None yet.
Any number of vines are far less vigorous.

Oh my goodness! What am I going to do?? Clearly I didn't research it enough. Ok...not much at all. Invasive.org? I had to decide to purchase and plant something listed on that website?

Ok, who wants it? It's coming out! My husband will go bonkers. We inhereted a ridiculous jasmine vine when we bought our house, and have been fighting it for 5 years. Some of the casualties have been...fence on 2 sides of the property line, a pergola, and a 10 ft tall hedge.

Geez, not feeling like the sharpest tool in the shed.

What are your favs, as far as flowering vines that behave, will stay on my trellis, and not shoot vines like that?

Climbing/ramblin' Roses and Clematis are good perennials that have a reputation for staying where you put them, from the ground at least. Some roses could easily overwhelm a trellis and need to be researched individually. They also need help (you physically putting the stems where you want them) and often some kind of attachments to stay ON the trellis.

Clematis will grab on themselves and come in types that you never prune, and 2 other types that require different types of pruning. IMO, the easiest ones are those you never prune (although there's still dead stuff that you'll probably want to remove occasionally) or the ones that always die back (but again, leaves you with a lot of dead stuff to remove.)

Woody perennial vines can become too big and heavy for some support structures. This is

Taking your lifestyle/gardenstyle, trellis style, personal preferences, etc... into account in conjunction with these things can make it difficult and confusing to garden with vines. Nothing wrong with wanting Akebia/chocolate vine. I did too until I saw an infestation of it in person. Not really what I had in mind in my tiny suburban yard at the time. Sounds like it's not for you either, so it's really good that you asked about this while it's still small enough to easily remove.

Garden mistakes can happen to anyone, don't give yourself a hard time. I think your husband will be glad to know you've discovered an error in time to fix it before it becomes a problem. So that's a good job you've done. I've never told anyone to take a plant back where they bought it before, but I'm telling you that today. Hope that's an option for you. Curious what store was selling it?

To proceed, you may want to find what else is available to you in stores, then find out if they suit your needs. Try to go by their names and not what they look like as a tiny baby in a pot. Perennials, especially vines, take 3-5 years to really get going strong. You can research (by googling/asking on forums) bloom times, growth type, maintenance required, then select one that will be a good decision. The good news is, most vines I can think of are a lot more attractive in terms of pretty and/or fragrant flowers, or offering some nectar or food source, to bees and butterflies.

If deciding is difficult, it's not too late to try some morning glory seeds for this year where you are removing the other. Planting a perennial vine is not a decision you want to rush.

Well, I'm in Texas and I have found that shopping from nurseries who will ship gives me more choices. Yes, I like pretty flowers but I also want my plants to have pretty foliage. In Texas everything looks like a weed. It's so boring and ugly. I bought the vine from a nursery in Oklahoma called Sooner Plant Farm. It bugs me to no end that they willingly sell it author saying how aggressive and invasive it is. Also saddens me because of all the nurseries around the country that I have bought from, it was my favorite. I like that they don't sell many things in containers smaller than a gallon. Where in some cases, I feel like I need to put something similar to crime tape to mark a newly planted baby (read : embryo) from them I would get a cute little plant.

So I'm taking your advice. I've started the removal of the akebia, most of it is out, i just want to dig more tomorrow to be sure. I am in no rush to fill it's place. I will research and then research some more. :)

Oh, they also give you a time released food and ship with this weird jelly looking moisture stuff. The plants are always in such good shape when I get them. But, I'm not suggesting them. Lol.

I'm not sure I'd panic yet. Invasiveness of any plant is highly dependant on location. Akebia shows no signs of being invasive or even rampantly aggressive in Texas, largely due to excessive heat and drought. In milder, wetter climates it can be an issue, although in my mild and damp PNW climate, it is an attractive and entirely well-behaved vine.

FWIW, many folks look for aggressive plants simply because they do what they do rapidly and with vigor.....doesn't necessarily make them a "bad" plant :-) And invasiveness is another issue entirely and relates only to non-native plants that escape civilization and invade natural areas, choking out native species. There is a BIG difference between an invasive plant and an aggressive grower.

btw, it is the gardener's responsibility - not the mail order nursery - to research specific plants and determine whether or not they are considered invasive in your area. As stated, invasiveness is regionally determined and what may invasive in NJ or AL may or may not be equally as invasive in TX or WA or CA.

I came to this board looking how to KILL this vine.

I had 3, 6" shoots from a trade here on GW. The person did say it was invasive, but hey. I got 6 acres and had nothing but poison ivy.

Due to some serious life trauma, I neglected my gardens for about 5 years. Well, lemme tell ya.

I've been cutting out tall mulberries, cypress, crap cherry trees, brambles, and even Round-ing Up my wayyyyy overgrown collection of ornamental grasses. Sooo out of control!

Anyway, this darned chocolate vine is on absolutely everything. With thick, woody stems. Just today I was ripping it off hosta & my Japanese maple collection (amazing what survived without water in full sun!)

I was wondering if anyone had any experience killing this thing? My plan is to keep cutting it out and Round-ing UP any leaves I see. Is there a better way?

I won't mention the native, invasive honeysuckle I've been killing, then why, oh why did I plant two Asian hybrids? Gorgeous honesuckles. 'Mandarin Orange' and 'Carnival' (I think! I'm hacking those down, too.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Hi,

Which is better for eating: Akebia trifoliata (3-leafed) or A. quinata (5-leafed)?

Also, is it to be inferred that A. trifoliata is less invasive than A. quinata?

Thanks!
Steve

Hi,

Which is better for eating: Akebia trifoliata (3-leafed) or A. quinata (5-leafed)?

Also, is it to be inferred that A. trifoliata is less invasive than A. quinata?

Thanks!
Steve

I need advice for my chocolate vine. I live in zone 10 in Houston, Texas. I purchased two small chocolate vines online. When they we're delivered, one looked okay and the other one looked bad. I planted both of them in a container to start off. They started growing but not as fast as everyone else is claiming and I noticed these dark spots on my leaves. I uploaded the photo. Can anybody help tell me what this is? Is it normal....I really want this plant to grow. Thanks for any advice or tips.

That is possibly a little bit of cold damage. And I doubt that it will be a problem. Beware - they are very hard to get rid of once they are in the ground.