Climber
How to grow Virginia creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Plant Virginia creeper between October and March at the foot of a large wall or fence, in sun or part shade and any soil that drains. It is fully hardy, clings by adhesive pads without wires, and grows several metres a year once established. Success is mostly a matter of control: water it through the first summer, then cut it back every winter to keep it out of gutters, roofs and windows.
- Hardiness
- Fully hardy
- Position
- Sun to part shade
- Soil
- Most soils; free-draining
- Ideal pH
- 6.0 to 7.5
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- Light feeder
Sowing and planting Virginia creeper
WhenPlant Oct to Mar; autumn colour Sep to Oct; prune Dec to Jan
Starting off
Plant pot-grown stock Oct to Mar, or Apr to May in cold gardens, watering 10 litres weekly in the first summer, since the base of a wall is dry. Propagate by 10 cm softwood cuttings in Jun to Jul, rooting in 3 weeks at 18 to 20°C, or by 25 cm hardwood cuttings in Nov; stems that touch the ground layer themselves and rooted pieces can be lifted in Mar.
Spacing and planting
P. quinquefolia climbs to 15 to 20 m by 5 m or more and Boston ivy (P. tricuspidata) to 20 m; both will cover a house in 10 years. Plant one per 3 to 4 m of wall, 30 to 45 cm out from the base, in a hole twice the pot width with the rootball level with the surface, leaning the stems in on a cane until the adhesive pads take hold. Not a container plant beyond its first year.
Varieties worth growing
- Parthenocissus quinquefolia
- True Virginia creeper, with leaves of five leaflets that turn brilliant crimson in September and October. The most vigorous; for a big, bare wall only.
- P. quinquefolia var. engelmannii
- Smaller, neater leaflets and better adhesive pads than the species, so it grips smooth walls more securely. The form to choose where you can find it.
- P. tricuspidata 'Veitchii'
- Boston ivy: three-lobed leaves that overlap like tiles to make a flat, dense cover, turning red-purple in autumn. The tightest clinger.
- P. henryana
- Chinese Virginia creeper, with velvety leaves veined in silver and pink. Less rampant, though it can reach 8 m or more in time; colours best on a shaded wall, and wants a sheltered spot.
Virginia creeper month by month
Timings are for central England. Allow two weeks later in the north and on cold, heavy soil.
- January
Main pruning: cut back hard from gutters, roof, windows and paintwork while the plant is dormant.
- February
Plant in open weather. Finish pruning before the buds break.
- March
Plant. Lift and replant rooted layers. Seaweed meal for plants in their first two years.
- April
Leaves open. Plant in cold gardens. Guide new shoots onto the wall.
- May
Last chance to plant. Water new plants: 10 litres a week.
- June
Keep watering first-year plants. Softwood cuttings.
- July
Summer trim: shorten growth heading for windows and gutters. Softwood cuttings.
- August
Second trim if needed. Soak the roots in a dry spell for better autumn colour.
- September
Colour begins. Nothing to do.
- October
Peak colour, then leaf fall. Planting season begins. Clear fallen leaves from gutters and drains.
- November
Plant. Take hardwood cuttings.
- December
Winter pruning can start once the leaves are down.
Feeding Virginia creeper
Do not feed an established Virginia creeper; it is already more vigorous than most walls can take. The only help worth giving is at planting and in the first two years, because the soil at the foot of a wall is usually dry, poor and full of rubble.
Low, vigorous; little feeding needed.
Feeding plan
October to March, at planting
Garden compost
One bucketful forked into the planting area, 30 to 45 cm out from the wall, to hold moisture in the dry soil of the footing.
At planting
5 g per litre of root ball, dusted onto the roots or into the hole so it touches them: 15 g for a 3 litre pot. Once.
March, first and second spring
50 g/m², the bottom of the label range: about 50 g over the square metre at the base, watered in. Once each spring.
May to August, first summer
1 g per litre of water: 10 g in the 10 litre can it gets each week, every 2 to 3 weeks.
From the third year
Nothing
No feed at all. Water in a severe drought and prune.
Signs to watch
Yellow leaves with green veins on new growth against a lime-mortared wall or on chalk → iron locked out → chelated iron and a compost mulch, or accept it, as the autumn colour is unaffected. Dull red-purple leaves in Jun rather than green → phosphorus short on cold, poor soil at a wall footing, or drought → compost mulch and a deep soak. Thin growth and small pale leaves → drought and nitrogen hun
Pests, diseases and problems
Stems under roof tiles, in gutters, behind cladding and across windows
Normal vigour; an established plant adds 2 to 3 m a year and heads for the highest point
Cut back in December or January to at least 50 cm below gutters and around windows, and trim again in July or August. Sever stems first and let the top growth wilt before pulling it down. Wear gloves, as the sap can irritate skin.
A newly planted creeper hangs away from the wall and will not climb
Only new growth produces adhesive pads; the stems it arrived with never will
Lean the stems against the wall on short canes, or peg them along the base. New shoots attach themselves within the first season.
A large sheet of growth has peeled off the wall in wind
Weight on old stems, or loose and flaking paint or render that gave way
Detached stems cannot re-stick. Cut them back to where the plant is still attached and let new shoots cover the gap.
Leaves fall yellow or dull red with little autumn display
Deep shade, or drought in late summer at the base of a wall
The strongest colour comes with sun for at least half the day. Soak the root area fortnightly in a dry August and September.
Grey-white powder on the leaves in a dry summer
Powdery mildew on a plant short of water at the root
Water deeply and mulch. It rarely matters on an established plant, and the leaves fall in autumn anyway.
An established plant fails to leaf up or dies back in sections
Honey fungus, to which Parthenocissus is susceptible; look for a white fungal sheet under the bark at the base
Dig out the plant with as much root as possible. Do not replant another creeper in the same spot.
Pruning
Pruning and care
Prune in Dec to Jan while fully dormant, cutting the plant back hard to keep it 50 cm clear of gutters, roof tiles, windows and paintwork, and removing any stems growing under cladding; a second tidy in Jul to Aug shortens the summer extension growth. It renovates from the base, cut to 60 cm in Jan, and regrows 3 to 5 m in a season. Self-clinging by adhesive pads, so no wires or tying, but the pads mark re
Good to knowSelf-clinging, with spectacular red autumn colour; very vigorous, keep it off gutters and roofs.
Growing Virginia creeper in pots
Virginia creeper is not a container plant. Its root system and top growth are both too large, and a pot-bound plant dries out daily, colours poorly and drops its leaves early. It can sit in a pot for its first year while you prepare the planting position, but no longer. If the only place for a climber is a pot, the far less vigorous Parthenocissus henryana will manage for some years in a 50 cm or larger container of loam-based compost on a sheltered, partly shaded wall, watered regularly and given a light top-dressing of seaweed meal in spring.
Virginia creeper: common questions
Does Virginia creeper damage walls?
Not sound ones. The adhesive pads stick to the surface and do not root into brick or mortar the way ivy can. The risks are elsewhere: stems lifting roof tiles, blocking gutters and getting behind cladding, and pads leaving marks on paint and render or pulling off loose material when removed. Keep it pruned 50 cm clear of anything it could get into.
When should I cut back Virginia creeper?
Cut it back in December or January, once the leaves have fallen and you can see the stems. Prune as hard as you need to; it can be cut to 60 cm from the ground and will regrow. A second trim in July or August keeps the summer growth away from windows and gutters.
Is Virginia creeper invasive in the UK?
Yes, it is listed as an invasive non-native plant in England and Wales, which makes it an offence to plant it in the wild or let it spread there. Growing it in a garden is legal. Keep it within your boundary, and compost or bin the prunings rather than dumping them, because cut stems root where they touch the soil.
Sources
Growing information on this page was checked against these references in November 2026. Feeding rates are Dr Forest label rates.