Leif’s article for the October 4, 2008, Northfield News was on Bittersweet! Read on….
One of the native plants that can make a striking statement in the fall landscape is the bittersweet vine. With brilliant orange clusters of fruit hanging on winding vines and curling tendrils, bittersweet brings its vivid display of color to the landscape just as other plants are fading.
Out in the countryside around Northfield, wild Bittersweet vine can be found here and there growing on fence lines, along railroad rights of way and climbing up trees of many sizes to reach for sunlight. While Bittersweet is sometimes found in heavier woodlands, it seems to prefer edges, openings, and areas disturbed by some kind of activity, where it can access more sunlight.
Once the firm orange fruits – 3/8″ to 1`/2″ in diameter open to reveal a very deep orange flesh, they usually persist on the vines throughout the winter, or until they are eaten by birds and other wildlife. This habit of persisting on the vine and retaining excellent color for many months makes Bittersweet berries one of the most visually stimulating native plants.
While wild Bittersweet vine is not rare, it is not so common as to be common place. Many people like to add a bit of Bittersweet vine to fall bouquets, arrangements and wreaths decorating their household. If you harvest wild Bittersweet, take care not to overharvest. Take enough to get a fix of color and leave some to seed in future generations and for the wildlife.
Mike Behrens is a Northfielder who is frequently out in the fields and forest of Rice county and has developed a deep appreciation for Bittersweet. Mike graciously collected and propagated wild Bittersweet seed and brought a tray of seedlings down to the nursery so that we and others could someday enjoy this hardy and disease free plant.
For several years, we have been nurturing Mike’s Bittersweet babies and they have now become impressive specimens, loaded with bright orange clusters and waiting to be adopted. It is especially nice to have local genetics in these vines since their color and form is superior to some of the cultivars commonly available in the nursery trade.
If you want to invite Bittersweet vine into your landscape, be sure to have a good sized fence, trellis or arbor, large enough for several vines, since you will need to have at least one male vine to serve as the pollinator for one or more female vines that produce the showy berries. Once established, a mass of Bittersweet vine can delight the eye for several decades to come.
5 Comments
Can you tell me how to protect bittersweet vines from the harsh northern MN winters? I was given a gift of a male and a female plant this past spring, and I want to ensure their survival over the winter. Whatever advice you can give me, I sincerely appreciate. Thank you.
i have a very healthy plant, that is nine years old. i think i might have a male, because i have never seen it flower. how do i know for sure? how do i go about getting a mate or mates? elizabeth
We have a bittersweet vine that has never produced berries; that is red berries. It has some white/yellow looking berries on it but they never break open to have the red inside. We bought both male and female from a nursery.
Where can I buy these plants and when should they be planted? jk
We have Bittersweet Vines here at the nursery. Stop in and pick one up. They can be planted at any time of the growing season.