Akebia quinata

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gertrude

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Akebia quinata
« on: December 29, 2011, 10:10:43 AM »
Does anyone have any seeds of Akebia quinata which they are willing to share.  I have looked on the Seed exchange but there don't appear to be any available.
Pete and Jan retired to le Marche, Italy 20 years ago for a quiet,  sunny life.  Gardening here was a challenge, but we now have a wonderful garden, with an eclectric selection of plants,  including many wild  flowers and orchids of which we are found of.

Umbrian

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Re: Akebia quinata
« Reply #1 on: December 30, 2011, 09:00:46 AM »
Unless you particularly want to try this from seed I am sure I could let you have some rooted pieces. It is a lovely plant but a bit unruly and any long runners that escape notice and grow along the ground root readily in my experience. Perhaps I could also include some white Centranthus but I suppose by now you have this?!!! :)
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.

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gertrude

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Re: Akebia quinata
« Reply #2 on: December 30, 2011, 09:20:37 AM »
Dear Umbrian,  Yes please,   only suggested seeds as that's the usual way to start stuff off.  rooted cuttings would be great (more than great - perfect)  that way I dont have to wait and hope that the seeds take ok.   WHITE centranthus would be great.  Have been looking for white for a long time now and only find red and pink.   We have just erected some sheep fencing to keep our shepherds sheep off our veggie area and I thought this would be great climbing all over it, together with other stuff.

So how we gonna do this?................   
Pete and Jan retired to le Marche, Italy 20 years ago for a quiet,  sunny life.  Gardening here was a challenge, but we now have a wonderful garden, with an eclectric selection of plants,  including many wild  flowers and orchids of which we are found of.

Umbrian

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Re: Akebia quinata
« Reply #3 on: December 31, 2011, 09:06:04 AM »
Obviously I shall have to wait for suitable weather to get both subjects into pots and growing on - very frosty recently but getting slightly warmer now. Will do it as soon as possible and then arrange passing over once I am sure they have taken. I could either try to send them as root balls well packed or perhaps we could meet half way (at Gary's for instance did you ever go there when he hosted several plant sales for the IB?) You are very welcome to visit me but I realise it is a long trip. Gary's garden is well worth seeing if you have not been and I know he would welcome us. Anyway, this time we will make it work, just keep Pete healthy! :)
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.

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gertrude

  • Jr. Member
Re: Akebia quinata
« Reply #4 on: December 31, 2011, 06:12:10 PM »
Seeing as you don't exhibit a photo,  I am not really sure who you are !!!!  not that that matters of course.  We could take  a trip out to where ever you reside, (if not too far)weather permitting.  Not sure where Gary's garden is, as we have never been there. If 'Umbrian' could become 'unambiguous' Pete & I would be sure we are not in contact with MI5, or an underground group' (pardon the pun).
Anyway, Happy New Year 'Umbrian'. from Pete & Jan Thompson of Marchè.
Pete and Jan retired to le Marche, Italy 20 years ago for a quiet,  sunny life.  Gardening here was a challenge, but we now have a wonderful garden, with an eclectric selection of plants,  including many wild  flowers and orchids of which we are found of.

Umbrian

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Re: Akebia quinata
« Reply #5 on: January 02, 2012, 09:55:39 AM »
Sorry Janet I thought it would be easy to know who Umbrian is due to the reference to white Centranthus / We have met several times and actually shared an MGS holiday together in Northern Greece ! Anyway three rooted pieces of Akebia are now in pots and a further two, with just the start of roots ,in my cuttings box. If you don't like games I can reveal all (name wise that is!) but I am sure that will not be necessary. I do have an e.mail address on the forum so you could use that to further this cause. :)
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.

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gertrude

  • Jr. Member
Re: Akebia quinata
« Reply #6 on: January 02, 2012, 06:58:59 PM »
OK, will continue this convo via email. 
Pete and Jan retired to le Marche, Italy 20 years ago for a quiet,  sunny life.  Gardening here was a challenge, but we now have a wonderful garden, with an eclectric selection of plants,  including many wild  flowers and orchids of which we are found of.

Umbrian

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Re: Akebia quinata
« Reply #7 on: January 10, 2012, 07:51:10 AM »
Messages to my Forum e.mail address only show in the "My Messages" area on the Forum so all correspondence regarding Akebia and other things I can let you have will have to be done through that!  ::)
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.

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gertrude

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Re: Akebia quinata
« Reply #8 on: January 10, 2012, 02:15:31 PM »
I kinda guessed who it was, but Pete said no.  Funny,  Jorun (from Norway) wrote me yesterday and she said 'I think your mystery person is ……….??? Thanks for the offer of rooted cuttings,  that way they will get away quickly and I don't have to wait to see if seeds take or not.    We have quite a lot of sheep fencing which we need/want to cover and when I read about this plant I thought it would be perfect for the job, together with various others.  I guess if you had anything else that would suit I would be grateful (cheeky). 
 Not sure where you live or in fact where Gary's house is so will have to decide what to do about receiving them when we find out the geography involved.  So far we have had quite a mild winter, only a couple of frosts and not in our garden (we are south facing) so only on the hills opposite.  Today whilst working in the garden ( a new project) it was positively warm in the sunshine esp whilst having our lunch outdoors.  How many times would you do that in the UK aye ?? Here we recon about 300 + days a year, and about 250 when we have breky out there also.
Anyhows,  don't wish to bore you with trivia,  will say goodbye and await your reply.
Best wishes, happy gardening  Jan (Janice) 
I'm guessing that you wish to remain anonymous ??
Pete and Jan retired to le Marche, Italy 20 years ago for a quiet,  sunny life.  Gardening here was a challenge, but we now have a wonderful garden, with an eclectric selection of plants,  including many wild  flowers and orchids of which we are found of.

Umbrian

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Re: Akebia quinata
« Reply #9 on: January 13, 2012, 07:44:51 AM »
 :)Yes Jan you were right. Friends and people I have met through AGM events soon realised who "Umbrian" is but , yes, for a wider audience I prefer to remain anonymous! If you write to my Forum e.mail and give me your e.mail address we can continue from there and I will reply through my personal e.mail address. I have several things that might be useful for screening your new fence and am always happy to pass on surplus plants. Hopefully we can arrange to meet in the spring and you can finally also have some white Centranthus! I know I did have your e.mail address once but have trawled through all my old notebooks/diaries to no avail. Looking forward to hearing from you :) Umbrian!
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.

Sandra

  • Newbie
Re: Akebia quinata
« Reply #10 on: April 06, 2013, 08:54:36 PM »
I have managed to bring a small specimen of Akebia Quinata to Greece from the UK and at the moment it is growing away in a plant pot but needs planting in a more permanent home. What are the best conditions and could it be grown in a large pot or does it need to be in the ground?
Sandra Panting
I garden in the Southern Peloponnese, Greece and will soon be creating a small garden in Northampton, England.  I'm co-head of the MGS Peloponnese group and a member of the RHS.

Umbrian

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Re: Akebia quinata
« Reply #11 on: April 07, 2013, 07:33:22 AM »
I have had two Akebia quinata in large pots for many years and despite the pots getting solid with roots they grow and flower well. Last year however frost damage to one of the pots meant I dispensed with it and planted the Akebia from it into the ground. Originally I used pots as I wanted to grow them up a wrought iron arch spanning the end of our front terrace and there was no soil in which to place one of them. I see no reason not to plant directly into the ground in your case, they are tough plants despite their rather delicate appearance. A position near to the house or a sitting area in the garden is a good idea as the flowers are not only very unusual but also delicately perfumed and the foliage is always a joy. They seem to suvive without copious amounts of water as demonstrated by my success with them in root bound pots over many years.
If some of the stems are allowed to grow along the ground (or escape attention and do so) they root readily and can be detached to make new plants or allowed to grow in situ. Once these pieces find a suitable host they will start to climb and add extra interest. I was pleased to find one such "escapee" flowering in the lower branches of a large Eleagnus ebingei last spring.
Obviously pamper your small plant during its first year but after that you should have no trouble. A lovely choice :)
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.

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gertrude

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Re: Akebia quinata
« Reply #12 on: April 07, 2013, 09:20:39 PM »
I lost two of the 3 plants that you kindly gave me,  but one survives, and is just making some headway in the world.  Its tiny at the mo but I am hoping for greater things.  You say that you grew yours in pots - what kinda size are we talking about ?  I was of course hoping to cover a fence with mine but now that I have only 1 plant I feel the need to pamper it for a while. 

Have you managed your move yet or still waiting for warmer weather to get you going.  Its a very late spring this year, we recon its at least 3 weeks late here in Marche, what about in your area.
Pete and Jan retired to le Marche, Italy 20 years ago for a quiet,  sunny life.  Gardening here was a challenge, but we now have a wonderful garden, with an eclectric selection of plants,  including many wild  flowers and orchids of which we are found of.

Umbrian

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Re: Akebia quinata
« Reply #13 on: April 08, 2013, 06:51:24 AM »
Jan the pots are/were 80cm long, 35cm wide and 35cm deep. Sorry you only have one plant remaining. Are you attending IT Branch meeting on 19th April? if so I could give you some more rooted pieces.
Spring here is late and the ground is sodden after much rain making gardening difficult. OK for pulling out weeds but I do not want to compact the soil too much by treading everywhere or else it will be like concrete when the warmer weather arrives. Planting virtually impossible - I dug up two Lavenders that succumbed to too much wet and the soil around them is a claggy mess. Just when we think things are improving and we get a sunny day the next day brings more rain and low temperatures but today seems set to be fair so I must get out there and see what I can do ;D
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.

Sandra

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Re: Akebia quinata
« Reply #14 on: April 08, 2013, 07:29:15 AM »
I was thinking of planting my Akebia in a large pot on a SW facing terrace to grow up the pergola. The site is at 200m and really exposed to strong winds - hot in summer, cold in winter. Should I be thinking of somewhere more sheltered?
Sandra Panting
I garden in the Southern Peloponnese, Greece and will soon be creating a small garden in Northampton, England.  I'm co-head of the MGS Peloponnese group and a member of the RHS.