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Climber Wall Shrub

Akebia quinata 'Silver Bells'

chocolate vine 'Silver Bells'

Semi-evergreen climber about 10m tall, with rounded dark green leaves, blue-green below, composed of five leaflets and tinted purple in winter. Fragrant, pinkish-purple female flowers and white male flowers with purple-pink stamens, in racemes 12cm long, produced in early spring are sometimes followed by purple sausage-shaped fruits to 10cm in length

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Ultimate height

8–12 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

4–8 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or North–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Lardizabalaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Semi evergreen
Habit: Climbing
Genus: Akebia are vigorous twining, semi-evergreen climbing shrubs, with attractive palmate or trifoliate leaves and racemes of cup-shaped purplish female and smaller male flowers, followed by large, sausage-shaped fruits, if cross-pollinated by another clone
Name status: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

A climber that thrives with any good garden soil in sun or part shade. Fruit - needs long hot summers to fruit well and two plants of the same species to ensure cross pollination

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings or layering

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Climber and wall shrubs
Wall side borders

Pruning

Pruning group 11 after flowering

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely)

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