When we moved into our new house in Ontario last June, there was a beautiful grape arbour growing over the back deck. The previous owners confessed that they had not pruned the monster for a few years and that in 18 years of living in the house, they had never tasted a single grape because the racoons usually ate them green before they had a chance to ripen. Little did we know what a nuisance it would be. We are very close to a conservation area and there was a racoon party on our deck every night. Our deck became a racoon toilet and finally, with mixed feelings, we just cut the blasted thing down. Recently I came across a photo of beautiful restaurant patio that was covered in a lush green grape vine. The caption said it was a grape that does not bear fruit. I cannot find such a thing in my reference book and was wondering if anyone here would know what it might be called. Barring that, any vine suggestions that would give the same outdoor-room feeling? Sandylein
Virginia creeper will do the same thing, assuming you want something that won't fruit ever. Wisteria is also a good choice.
Could you feed it a Nitrogen rich, Phos-low fertilizer to promote foliage and discourage flowering/fruiting?
The grape vine in question might be Vitis coignetiae. It is beautiful, hardy, shade-tolerant, big-leaved, and beautifully colored in autumn. I kept reading about it in British gardening books, but never saw or heard about it here in North America. I have no idea why it isn't more commonly grown. As I recall, I finally bought a plant from Forest Farm, and it is doing fine here in Maine.
What about a wild grapevine? I have one that doesnt bear fruit. I use it for shade and as a space-filler mostly. The leaves fall off in the autumn, and I prune it back quite a bit in the spring. The new leaves that emerge each year are very soft. I used to have a neighbor that would come by and pick some of them every summer (for cooking purposes). As for my fruiting grapevines, I dust the grapes with sulfur powder (as a fungicide) and spray the leaves with insecticides (to deal with the June Bugs and Japanese Beetles). Those usually stink up the place enough so that it also deters the raccoons, somewhat. But the sparrows are another story . . . Just my 2 cents.
Thanks everyone for your generous replies. Keep them coming, if you have any more ideas. I'll check with the large nursery in the next township to see if they can shed any light on this mystery plant, as well as ask about Vitis coignetiae.