Taming virginia creeper

vcreeperThis picture obviously needs explaining.  I’m trying to tame the virginia creeper that grows on the western side of my potting shed.

I have Bebère’s monstrously tall ladder for a bit longer, so I decided to put it to use against the tall potting shed wall.

I planted these titchy brilliant climbers a few years ago and thought it best to start on the side of the shed which most offends my neighbour Jean Daniel.

He can see this building from his farm in winter.  And the hedge hasn’t yet grown tall enough to mask the view.

It has worked very successfully.  Being west facing, the plants get plenty of shade in the morning and also benefit from a good drenching when the water barrels overflow nearby.  The three climbers have clothed the wall entirely and look very fetching.

But now I need to try and steer the tendrils in a more useful direction.  I want the plants to flop over the roof and start moving east and south.

In my dreams of how this shed will look in five years time, I will have a beautiful green roof. The creeper will have covered the entire polycarbonate roof.  That way I will have shade without having to spray greenhouse shading every April when it gets too hot inside the building.  I will still be able to get seeds germinated early in February and March before the creeper bursts into growth.  And I will get a structure that is less of an eyesore.vcreeperdetail

But how clingy do virginia creepers get?  It’s all a bit tenuous right now as I have to use rocks to secure the tendrils in place on the metal sheet. Will they cling to the roof?

I spent a happy hour or so chasing the plants about and removing them from under the roof where they insist on growing. And heading them up and over.

It looks a bit like a Prince Charles comb over right now.  Long strands which may bring the whole design undone in a strong wind.  Time for me to do a bit of research on the clinging properties of these plants. Good thing I know they are called parthenocissus quinquefolia. But don’t ask me why some complicated Latin names stay in my head, but for the life of me I can never remember my credit card PIN.