Everyone's favorite grapes are not only healthy and tasty berries, but also an excellent decorative decoration for a garden or a personal plot. Cultivated types of berry crops require regular pruning to obtain a bountiful harvest and therefore cannot be used for vertical gardening. But decorative varieties and hybrids in the form of large deciduous lianas effectively cover any surfaces with their dense foliage - walls of buildings, gazebos, summer verandas. They fill free space very quickly, regardless of its size.
Ornamental grapes also bear tasty fruits, much smaller in size in comparison with cultivated berries, but its main feature and pride are still long shoots. They are able to grow very quickly in height and decorate various objects - in spring and summer with openwork green foliage, and in autumn with a crimson-red blanket. The best grapes include the "Five-leaf", "Ivy" and "Tri-pointed" grapes.
These cultivars have the ability to easily climb smooth walls and trellised surfaces. Distinctive features of this culture are a large liana covered with a dense brown bark, finger-like dark green leaves on long petioles and numerous light green antennae. "Ivy" grapes change the color of their leaves according to the seasons: in the spring - purple, in the summer - green, in the fall - golden yellow. The plant blooms with inconspicuous inflorescences, its small fruits have low taste. The growing area can be sunny or shaded. Care for these varieties consists in moderate watering on dry days, in pruning dry and damaged shoots, in nutritious dressings in the spring and summer, and warming for the winter (except for five-leaf grapes). Plants tolerate transplanting well and quickly adapt to a new place.
Details about the cultivation of maiden grapes
Popular types of decorative grapes
These species are widely recognized by gardeners and have become widespread among amateurs and professionals in landscaping sites.
Japanese grapes (Coigne)
This Japanese type of grape has large leaves more than 30 cm wide, the shape is rounded heart-shaped, the upper surface is deep green, the lower one is grayish, bordered with small teeth. This fast-growing and frost-resistant plant looks spectacular on the walls of tall buildings and attracts attention in the summer months with its lush greenery, in the autumn time with its bright crimson outfit. Every year, the decorative culture adds in growth by 4 meters or more.
Isabella or Labrusca grapes
The hybrid variety is distinguished by a bright individual aroma, a lignified stem more than twenty centimeters in diameter, large shoots, felt leaves with a dark green tint and a wrinkled surface with a border of large teeth and small fruits about 2 cm.The color of the hearth, depending on the variety, can be pink, yellow, red and black. The grapes are able to form a dense deciduous carpet in a short time.
Fragrant or coastal grapes
This species deserves special attention and interest for its qualities, abilities and differences from other varieties and hybrids. The culture does not look very voluminous, it grows slowly, but it is highly resistant to frost and prolonged cold weather. Its main advantage is rather long shoots, the length of which exceeds 20-25 m. The grapes are distinguished by a rich bright green color of three-lobed leaves with large denticles at the edges, beautiful inflorescences of a large number of small white flowers and inedible small black fruits. Decorative grape varieties are perfectly combined with other types and create a varied palette of colors with the arrival of autumn.
