Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Fast, dense cover for walls and slopes, then fire-engine scarlet every October. Fall berries feed thrushes, woodpeckers, and cedar waxwings.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
The most reliable fall color of any native vine, plus bird-food berries and the toughness to cover a chain-link fence in two seasons.
Virginia creeper covers walls, fences, and slopes with five-fingered leaves through spring and summer, then lights up in October with the most saturated scarlet of any vine in the Mid-Atlantic. There's nothing subtle about it. The color is fire-engine red, and it holds for weeks before the leaves drop. Plant it against a stone wall and watch neighbors ask what it is every October. The small blue-black berries ripen in fall and are heavily used by migrating birds, including thrushes, woodpeckers, and cedar waxwings. It climbs by adhesive disks rather than twining, so it won't strangle supports or trees. Use it where you want fast, dense coverage. It earns its keep with almost no care and gives wildlife benefits that few vines can match.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown virginia creeper propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
Plant virginia creeper instead of Native alternative to English ivy (Hedera helix) for erosion control and coverage. Same job in the garden, without the spread.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 15–40 ft · 5–10 ft wide
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Family
- Vitaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America
Care notes for virginia creeper.
Tolerates nearly any condition: full sun to full shade, dry to moist soil, clay to sandy. Virtually indestructible once established. Prune in late winter to contain size or direct growth. No fertilizing needed. The adhesive disks can stain masonry. consider that before planting on painted surfaces.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside virginia creeper.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.