Silver Lace Vine

Also known as Fleece Flower, Fleece Vine, China Fleece Vine, Silver Fleece Vine
Polygonum (Fallopia) aubertii. The silver lace vine is a popular twining climber due to its extremely vigorous growth habit, which makes it an ideal plant to cover extensive areas fast.

Requirements

Sunny (full sun) to semi-shaded Position, and even in shade. Is not very fussy in terms of soils, but moist and nutrient rich soil will encourage growth and longer lasting foliage in autumn.

Growth and Leaves

A strong twiner, and in fact one of the most vigorous climbers. Grows up to 8 metres per year. Stem development is considerable, hence overgrowing of downpipes, lightning conductors etc must be avoided, similar as for the Wisteria. Dense foliage mats, often cascading or trailing. New shoots from March / April, then, with good water provision and in a protected position, foliage will last until November.

Flower and Fruit

From July until September continuously, with delicate panicles. Fruit rare.

: These (not always so obvious) knotty thickenings in the old wood give the plant its German common name

: At the back of a cubical multi-storey carpark, which has been embellished with a gable roof and a timber pergola to blend in with the historic district, both overgrown with silver lace vine on wire ropes.

: This silver lace vine is being supported by a lofty timber trellis

: An example of the vigorous growth: wire system 5040, shortly after planting.

: The same greening area as above, one year later....

Growth Support Systems

Best sturdy and rigid rod-like growth supports designed for anticipated plant height and width. Lightning conductors, downpipes, eave gutters and the like are not to be reached by the plants, growth supports should have a distance of at least 1.5m to all such building structures and to the gutter, to the side as well as to the top. For suitable growth support systems see below. Only Heavy Duty Growth Support Systems, for pot plants Light and Medium Growth Support Systems are possible.

Pruning

Vigorous pruning towards the end of winter usually benefits the silver lace vine.

Notes

Silver lace vine is to be planted only in areas which provide adequate space for its vigorous growth habit. If planted together with other climbing plants, it will strongly invade the other climbers and possibly crowd them out.

: Unpruned silver lace vine on wire mesh system in winter

: Due to its vigorous leaf growth, greening of entry gates with silver lace vine is only advisable under the right conditions (ie regular trimming)...

: Silver lace vine before clearing

: During a restoration, the growth on the gable to the right (see photo above) was removed, making the house look "orderly" again...

: A green roof of silver lace vine covers a wheelie bin area

: A whiff of sub-culture: silver lace vine overgrowing a pub of the trendy scene

: Silver lace vine camouflages 2 ventilation ducts. However, overgrowing of the eave gutter must be prevented.

: This silver lace vine has strangled synthetic rope

: Silver lace vine even pushes sturdy steel cables off their axis, over-stretching them which can also cause damage to the brackets.

: Silver lace vine growing into shade mesh, here an intentional effect.

: Wire rope system 4020 for silver lace vine left and right (covered) of stairwell, heavy duty kit.

: Silver lace vine is also suitable for cultivation in pots, here as a visual screen in a street cafe. In pots it grows to much less gigantic proportions than in the ground.