Virginia creeper.

I have quite a young (maybe 2 or 3 year old) Virginia creeper growing up the front of the house, which is north facing. No sun shines on this front part of the house at all.

We're almost in October and I would have expected the beautiful autumn foliage to have taken over by now, but mine still has its lush green summer foliage, not even any signs of it turning colour yet.

You might say, "well give it a few more weeks yet." The thing is, next doors have one growing on a fence in their back south facing garden, so plenty of sun, and theirs is turning colour fantastically.

Last year mine did get it's autumn colour, though I can't remember waiting so long.

My question is, is their famous and beautiful autumn foliage anyway dependant on the amount of direct bright sunlight they've received during the growing season?

Will you always get better colour from south facing plants?

 

It's been very warm so it probably just hasn't got to it's autumn colour yet. An older plant is also not the same as a younger one.
Many plants here are much slower in colouring up than they would normally be for the end of September, and it makes no difference which way they're facing either. I doubt if being south facing would alter that.

 

Agree colour change is normally due to lowering temps. and not position.

 

I tend to think it's a case of cold nights and warm sunny days to get the best autumn colours.
Trees don't seem to colour up so well in soggy autumns.

 

I have also noticed autumn colours are a bit slower to get going here this year (even mentioned it in a video I posted yesterday). Some of the Virginia creeper has started to change colour but not taken on its full red coulour yet and it has been a while now that the more south facing Virginia creeper across the road has had its full Autumn show on the go so maybe there is some element of better light helping the colouration. An earlier start can also lead to an earlier finish so I'd expect when the leaves have dropped on the south facing Virginia creeper across the road there may still be some with the bright leaves on show in my own garden but this will be weather dependent.
Happy gardening!

 

I know of various Virginia creepers around our area and I made a mental note to check some of them out on the school run this morning.

It is worth noting that all of the ones I'm familiar with in the area are growing on open garden fences, ie open to the sun, and they all have the deep red leaves!

Mine is the only one that I know of in our area that is in a harsher north facing position with no annual direct sun at all, and it's still lush green!!! I don't know if it's just coincidental at all.

We know the immense importance of the sun to flowering, so just maybe the sun also plays an important part in autumn leaf colour too? Interesting.

 

This is beginning to puzzle the hell out of me guys. I've done a little more research, and I've attached a few pictures to show you where I'm at regarding the exploits of my strange Virginia creeper.

Still no signs of its leaves turning red! And as you can see, next doors Virginia creeper is in full autumn "bloom".

I've been into the shed and found the original label which came with this plant and it is a "Chinese Virginia creeper" or "parthenocissus henryana." This is puzzling in itself because the "henryana", looking at pictures on the internet, has distinct white veining on the leaves, see picture. Mine has no white veining at all!

It's also meant to produce inconspicuous tiny flowers around June, mine has these tiny flowers now, in October!! See picture.

I can't even begin to get my head around this one, lol. Any ideas???

Top pic is mine currently in full greenery, with tiny flowers, minus white veining!


Middle pic is from the internet. "Henryana" showing white veining.


Next doors Virginia creeper in full "bloom". Pic taken this morning.

 

Difficult to tell from the picture but the leaves on your plant actually look quite thick, it almost looks like an evergreen plant, are the leaflets in worles of 5.

Its obviously different to your neighbours plant which would be Parthenocissus quinquefolia.

It looks quite variable in here, Buy Parthenocissus henryana (Chinese virginia creeper) in the UK

Interestingly it states it colours up better in shade.

The tiny flowers are not small berries forming, are they?

 

Yes, five leaves. It's definitely a Virginia creeper, no doubt, though there is a niggling doubt over which variant now!

This is its third autumn. The first one it did absolutely nothing of note, it had only been in the ground a couple of months!

The second autumn, last year, it turned red beautifully, though I'm certain it was before October!

And this year, its third, it has grown like a trooper, looks healthy as hell, but strangely doesn't seem to realise it's nearly winter and it's still got it's summer growth, in fact it still has new growth tips meandering up the wall looking for a purchase on the stone!!

It's body clock seems to be all out of whack, lol.

 

I believe henryana needs far more sun than the others to get the colour. Perhaps your one is in too shady a place

 

This is the exact reason for my initial post...does the amount of summer sun effect how these plants colour up in autumn?

If you are right and henryana benefits from lots of summer sun, then that is my problem right there, because this north facing plant doesn't get any direct sun at all!

It does colour up, eventually, it did last year nicely, though I'm sure I never had to wait until mid October!! By the way, it is still gloriously green, not the remotest hint of change......and next doors hardly has any leaves on it now, there's is weeks ahead of mine, lol.

I'll keep this thread updated as to when it starts "turning". At this rate though it could be next March, lol.

 

It is now the beginning of November and I am glad to report that my Virginia creeper has finally started turning colour. The bottom leaves have taken on a faint reddish hue. I expect this to spread to the rest of the leaves in the next couple of weeks.

When it's in it's full pomp and splendour I'll share a pic.

Next doors by the way, which turned red weeks ago, is now as bald as a coot. Not one leaf on it!!

 

The usual one doesn't need sun to change colour, but the one you have needs more sun. I expect that's the problem. When it's very mild, many plants take longer to change and colour up too. It's been very mild here and all the trees have been very slow to do that, and are holding their leaves longer.
All the virginia creepers I see when I'm out are bare though.