PARTHENOCISSUS. North America, East Asia and the Himalaya. A small genus of ornamental, mostly deciduous vines of the grape family. They have tendrils like the grapes, which help them cling to any support, and large, usually lobed or divided leaves. Several are noted for their brilliant fall color. The flowers are clustered, small and often greenish. Blue to black berries often ripen as the leaves begin to turn and can make a colorful show. These are some of the vines one sees in pictures of old brick buildings, massive and capable of covering large surfaces. However, it is easy enough to hack them back periodically to keep them in bounds on fences, or simply let them ramble as large-scale ground covers. Sun or light shade, rich and reasonably well drained soils, moderate to regular watering. Their hardiness varies as shown.

henryana. China. This is one of the most beautiful of all vines, at its best covering a large wall or clambering up a stout tree. It has mostly five-parted leaves, with toothed, rather narrow leaflets 3" or more long. These are satiny in surface, deep green in background color. In our original cultivar, the midribs of the leaflets are nearly white, though this feature is muted in the sun. Another form shows a silvery network of veins. Fall brings a vivid display of dark blue berries set against fiery orange and red shades in the leaves. Though it is sun-tolerant, the leaves show their vein patterns best with some shading. Hardy to 10^oF. or less.

quinquefolia. Virginia creeper. Eastern U.S. and Mexico. This is a gigantic vine in the wild, clambering as much as 100’. However it is rather easily controlled by pruning. It has mostly five-parted leaves with conspicuously toothed leaflets up to 4" long. They are dark green with a matte surface through the growing season but adopt a variety of vivid hues in fall. The berries, carried in small clusters along the stems, are nearly black. I have made various reselections from our seedling batches and named one. ‘Purple Falls’ has vibrant plum-purple leaf color in the fall. This is the hardiest species, enduring temperatures well below 0^oF.

tricuspidata ‘Veitchii’. Boston ivy. China and Japan. Though somewhat smaller than the last, Boston ivy is still a massive vine. It is distinguished by triplets of broader, brighter green, scallop-edged leaflets with wild scarlet to crimson fall color. New growth is shaded with purple. Deep blue berries with a waxy bloom are carried in larger, branched clusters. Also hardy to below 0^oF.