grow wild grape vine!

[rainbowgardener]

Just want to recommend that everyone should have some wild grape vine somewhere! It is a common native vine, that grows as a weed. I have mentioned before how effective it is as a trap crop for Japanese beetles. But when it flowers, it is also great at drawing beneficial insects. I have a big one crawling all over a big old hedge plant. Fortunately I don't care about the hedge. It is flowering now and it is just amazing to watch. It is swarming with life. I haven't seen many honey bees this season, until the grape started flowering. Now there are four or five of them (or more? hard to count when they are all moving all the time) working it all the time, along with bumblebees, and a whole variety of little fliers, from tiny to big, including hover flies, braconids, etc.

It is fascinating to just stand and watch it!

[ElizabethB]

I would love to see a picture.

[GardeningCook]

While I agree that wild grapes are an excellent trap crop for Japanese Beetles, there can be too much of a good thing.

Every year for decades - & currently - we spend hours ripping the d*mn stuff off of our deck, off of our house, & out of our trees. While it may be nice to have a hedge that "you don't care about", if you care about your house & grounds at all, do NOT allow this horror-movie "Triffid" to get ahold of your property. It's like a little sister to Kudzu. The plant seems to spread overnight, & seeds are readily spread by birds & other wildlife. Frankly, at this point I'd rather have the Japanese Beetles.

[rainbowgardener]

Interesting. I think it depends on the conditions and zone 7 may be different from zone 6. The one I described has basically been just sitting there for years, covering more and more of the hedge, but not appearing anywhere else. It is in a very sunny location. But in a woods near by, in shade, the wild grape is more aggressive, though not as bad as you describe. We have a lot more trouble with ivy, vinca, and euonymous.

[GardeningCook]

Here it is horrible in both sun & shade. Doesn't make any difference.

[shadylane]

Like wise Marlingardener, I have a volunteer on the south west corner of my garden fence and a few in the ditches around the property I know as Frost Grape 'Vitis riparia'..they are slow growers and have many benefits. I have been here for 30+ years and haven't seen any problems not like the native Trumpet Creeper 'campsis radicans' which are devils to keep tamed in it's on area.
Here is the 'Vitis riparia' grape ElizabethB, could be the same as Rainbows but there are may. 'Vitis labrusca'. 'Vitis rotundifolia'. There are Woodbines 'Parthenocissus' that are cousins of the grape.
https://www.friendsofthewildflowergarden ... grape.html

[GardeningCook]

Nice pics & interesting info, but I was still making the sign of the cross at the screen while reading - lol!