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THE most commented-upon plant in my whole garden is not one of my prize hydrangeas or the euphorbia amygdaloides I rave about to any and all visitors, or the great white oaks. No, the single most noticed plant by visitors (including Adrian Higgins of the Washington Post) is the hardy kiwi (Actinidia) that softens the look of my super-sized deck.
After "What IS that?" the next question is "Does it produce those ugly brown fruit we buy in the store?" And the answer is no - that kiwi plant isn’t cold-hardy. Hardy kiwis ARE supposed to produce berry-sized fruit, though, and I’m still waiting. Flowers appeared after 5 or so years and one would think that fruit would follow, right? The problem is that it grows like KUDZU and I hack it back several times before those berries have a chance of forming
. Oh, well.
So I usually warn visitors that hardy kiwi will eat your house if you’re not diligent about cutting it back, and I hope this last photo illustrates that point. It shows about a week’s worth of growth protruding out from the railing. I kid you not - this thing grows about 25 feet a year, at least a foot a week, and the total clippings from each prune-job fill up 2 large trash cans. .jpg)
Care instructions for hardy kiwi typically suggest cutting back severely in early spring and I’d say that’s a fine idea. And don’t stop cutting it back til the leaves drop.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Angel Funk 07.03.08 at 9:29 pm
I am so glad to read this, b/c we were thinking of planting some kiwi ! I’m thinking we just don’t have the space or time for maintenance now.
Michelle Derviss 07.04.08 at 1:28 pm
well I learned something new from this blog entry.
I had no idea that there was any other kiwi than the fruiting kind.
I like to use the fruiting variety in landscapes due to its wonderful fuzzy large heart shape foliage that has a dark green top side and a deep purple underside.
The fruit is prolific here in N. Cal. and makes a killer kiwi margarita !
Ann 07.04.08 at 1:33 pm
I’ve been dying to have one of these for years! I’ve never had a good spot, now I think I’ll never have enough space!
Gail 07.05.08 at 9:22 am
I see why you grow it; it does have the desired effect of softening your deck. A less diligent gardener than you would be bad candidates for this vine…me for instance! I am still trying to eradicate wisteria from the property….former owners gift to us.
Robin at Bumblebee 07.05.08 at 5:40 pm
Wow, with that kind of growth, are you sure it’s not kudzu?
This was an interesting post. When I saw photos of your garden a while back the kiwi was the first thing that caught my attention too. And you answered all my questions!
Happy hacking!
Robin at Bumblebee
CountryGarden 07.15.08 at 6:30 pm
I have a question…do you only have the one vine and do you know if it is a male or female? Kiwis are not self-fertile. Male’s are also more vigorous.
I just planted 8 vines- 2 males and 6 females. I know that they are most likely too closely planted but I am determined to see which variety will do the best.
Looking forward to my Kiwi margarita and mojito.
Susan Harris 07.15.08 at 7:02 pm
CountryGardener, I have 3 vines - 2 marked as females and 1 as a male - assuming those labels were correct. Hey, at least it blooms!
Earth Girl 07.19.08 at 9:07 am
I feel your pain. I’m restoring a historic garden in NE Indiana and one of the plants is what Gene Stratton-Porter called “Tara Vine” or hardy kiwi. It is the original plant and it covers the entry to the arbor and sends branches waving 20 feet in the air trying to find something to climb. It has nondescript but fragrant flowers and the base vine has really interesting exfoliating bark. If you prune in the spring while the sap is running it will “leak” for days. I’m pruning now through fall.
Dorene 07.20.08 at 9:08 pm
We have 2 females and a male on a pergola at the community garden I run — it gives us some nice shade. We don’t bother to prune the lower branches because the deer eat them back (hate the deer!). With the pergola, we get a lot of birds nesting in the top, which is nice also.
You should be getting fruit by now if you have both male and female. You can cut the male back to just one leader vine — as long as there are some male flowers, it will pollinate all the females. Hardy kiwi fruit is green and small — it’s sometimes hard to see the clusters of fruit, but if you aren’t getting any by now, make sure the male hasn’t taken over.
dana 08.05.08 at 5:10 pm
Don’t discount this plant. We have grown Hardy Kiwi “Artic Beauty” for nearly 15 years. It covers a pergola on the west side of our home, providing dense shade and privacy. We also have it growing on another pergola in the center of our largest garden. We love it. It does grow quickly, although not as fast as other vines we have tried -ornamental hops, anyone? It may be because it gets limited sun- or because we don’t hack it back every year- we want the growth at the top of the plant. The kiwis in our yard bloom every spring and for about two weeks we have tiny white blossoms all over the deck and yard. But the citrus scent is delicious and the blooms sweep up easily. This plant remains one of our favorites.
Jolene DeJager 11.17.08 at 2:33 pm
Just curious, is this vine the kwi berry that produces grape-like kiwis? If yes, then how vigorous should it be pruned back and when?Jolene.
Dorene 11.17.08 at 3:26 pm
Yes, this produces what some growers are calling “kiwi berries” so that folks know you are supposed to grow it whole.
You can prune it back as far as you like anytime before it flowers and after it fruits if you want maximum fruit production. Otherwise, just hack at it whenever it grows somewhere you don’t like — the thing will just put out another vine someplace else.