Schisandra chinensis

RHS Plant Profile
chinese limonnik
chinese limonnik visionspictures.com

Other common names

magnolia vine

Climber Wall Shrub

A deciduous twining climber with woody mature stems and slender, reddish young shoots. Leaves are obovate to elliptic, glossy and slightly serrated, to 14cm long. Small, cup-shaped, cream to pale pink flowers are produced on short stalks from the leaf axils from late spring and early summer; if pollinated, these are followed on female plants by hanging clusters of small, round, red or pink berries

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

8-12 metres

Max Spread

2.5-4 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
5–10 years
Max Spread
2.5-4 metres
Max Height
8-12 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade
Aspect
East–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness
H5

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Schisandraceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Climbing
Genus
Schisandra are deciduous or evergreen, monoecious or dioecious, twining shrubs. Leaves are alternate on slender stalks. Flowers are solitary or in small clusters, borne in the leaf axils, and sepals and petals are indistinguishable. In female flowers the carpels are densely packed into a head, but as they ripen they elongate, eventually forming a spike several inches long
Name Status
Correct

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, moist but well-drained soil; thrives in partial or dappled shade but will tolerate full sun as long as soil is consistently moist. Will benefit from mulching. Tie in shoots of young plants until established. Plant both male and female plants to ensure fruit

Propagation

Propagate by seed, sown in containers in a cold frame as soon as ripe, by softwood cuttings in early summer or by semi-ripe cuttings in late summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Climber and wall shrubs

Pruning

Pruning group 12, in early spring

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free