Is Boston Ivy the right choice for you?

There’s no denying the stunning beauty of Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata). Along with the obvious benefits of striking autumn colour, strategically planting a creeper on a sunny wall can provide protection from summer sun without losing winter heat. It can also screen ugly walls, and provides a food source for bees.

But there are other plants within this genus (Parthenocissus) that might be more suited for your needs. So we thought we’d offer a comparison between three popular climbers (Boston Ivy, Virginia Creeper and Silver Veined Creeper) that might help you narrow down the perfect option for you.

Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata)

Despite the name, Boston Ivy doesn’t originate from USA, it is native to Japan. A look at the leaves will tell you it is Boston Ivy as opposed to the others. As the botanical name suggests, tricuspidata indicates it has three (tri) lobes.

Boston Ivy will take over a large area with a dense coverage of glossy green leaves (see image at top of this post). All three varieties climb using tendrils and self adhesive pads that suction onto the surface (pictured), but Boston Ivy has superior ability to stick to the surface it is growing on and is the least likely to need additional support.

Like all three, it will grow from sun to shady position and will grow in all soil types.

A key difference between Boston Ivy and the others is that Boston Ivy does not produce berries. This may be important to you if you have kids or pets, as the berries contain oxalic acid which is toxic.

Boston Ivy grows more slowly than the others, and is less of a rambler than Virginia Creeper. It will grow to fill a very large space with a thick coverage of leaves.

Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)

Identifying this plant is done in similar fashion to the Boston Ivy, take a leaf and count the leaflets. Once again, the botanical name offers the clue - quinquefolia - five leaflets. However, juvenile leaves have not yet developed into their distinct shape, so may be mistaken for Boston Ivy.

Unlike Boston Ivy, Virginia Creeper is a native to the USA, Canada and Mexico. It’s the wilder variety of the three, and will grow vigorously so if you need to cover a wall fast, this one might be a better choice. The growth habit tends to be less dense than Boston Ivy, so keep that in mind if you are trying to screen an unsightly wall. Virginia Creeper doesn’t have as strong a grip as Boston Ivy, and can get heavy on the ends, causing it to flop over. Pruning will be needed to help keep it contained.

Virginia Creeper can tolerate a wider range of temperatures than Boston Ivy which probably isn’t such an issue here in Australia as we are not subjected to extremely cold winters like in the USA.

As mentioned above, the berries are toxic so the presence of children or animals might mean you should steer clear.

Silver Veined Creeper (Parthenocissus henryana)

Silver Veined Climber is native to China. It grows around 8m x 8m, and climbs in similar fashion to the others, but not as strong as Boston Ivy. This climber would be much better option for a smaller space, like climbing over an arch or framing a window.

While it does grow in a range of locations from sun through to shade, the silver veins on the leaves will be more pronounced when it is growing in a shaded spot.

In autumn the leaves turn to a brilliant crimson colour, some people believe the Silver Veined Climber is the most vivid of the three varieties.

Berries will form on this variety.

Winter Dormancy

All three of these climbers will lose their leaves in winter. This means that for one quarter of the year the structure of the vine will be visible while the plant is dormant. For most people though, the beauty and amenity provided over the rest of the year is more than adequate compensation for the bare branches over winter.