Plant of the Week: Parthenocissus tricuspidata ‘Fenway Park’

In addition to a regular blog post each week, I thought I would start doing a “Plant of the Week” feature and introduce my readers to some of the unique, unusual and beautiful plants that I have known and grown over the years.  Here is the inaugural “Plant of the Week” post:

I love a good clinging, climbing vine.  Make it a bright golden yellow and it’s truly a torrid affair!  ‘Fenway Park’ was one of those have-to-have-it plants from the moment I first laid eyes on it–and it was HARD to find.  Even now, it’s not a plant that everyone is familiar with and certainly not one that you’ll walk into just any garden center and find.  And it’s sloooooowww, so alot of growers don’t want to take the time to produce it, but for me, being a slower grower is part of the beauty.  The fact that it won’t climb three stories in as many weeks makes it a much more manageable plant for most of us to live with in the garden.  This doesn’t mean that it won’t eventually reach 30 feet, but it will take longer to get there and that gives us, the gardener, an opporunity to help direct and control its growth.

Botanical Name:  Parthenocissus tricuspidata ‘Fenway Park’
Common Name:  Fenway Park Boston Ivy
Hardiness:  USDA Zones 4-9
Exposure: Full sun in northern and central climates, morning sun in the deeper South
Habit:  Self-clinging vine
Size:  30-40 feet, depending on the size of the structure it has to climb on.  Because of its slower rate of growth, it is not difficult to maintain it at a smaller size.
Features:  Brilliant, golden chartreuse leaves throughout the summer and spectacular fall color in shades of red, orange and gold.  Deciduous, losing its leaves in winter.