How to best grow a vine over an archway

[JT101]

Hi everyone

I have a 2m tall x 1m wide archway. Was thinking of planting a kiwi vine to grow up and over it. Have a couple of questions.

1) Should I just grow one vine (self fertile variety) up and over the arch and let it grow down the other side of the arch? Or should I plant one vine on each side? Any pros or cons to either?


2) Seems to me that any vine such as kiwi, grape or whatever tends to grow a lot larger than 2m. Do you then trail it off elsewhere once it reaches the top of the arch or will it stop there? I guess if I grow it up and over down the other side, that's about 4-5m so maybe that's ok.



Cheers

[nickdub]

I don't know about kiwi vines but generally if you want a balanced outcome then planting one either side is the way to go. The reason is that new growth mostly happens at the tops of plants, so with one each side you'll get new growth each year both sides too.

As to the size of the arch versus the size of the plants, its certainly possible to have plants which are too vigorous growers for the space available to them. This generally means its either best to pick something which doesn't grow so strongly, or to prepare the planting site with some sort of root restrictions such as a slate sided box.

[TrixC]

Are you planning to plant dwarf kiwis or the full size varieties? I wouldn’t recommend the full size ones for a space that size because they’re much too vigorous, the dwarf ones are much better behaved.

[Jungle Jane]

If you have a grape either side you can train them to where you want,up & over,the weight balance would be better on the arch,then cut them down every year,they like a good hard prune you can really control it. My grape tries to grow higher than the shed but I pinch the tips out,have it how you want.

[veggiechicken]

Do NOT grow a Kiwi "Jenny" on an arch.
The photos have gone but the nightmare lingers on.

https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ing_66036.html

[JT101]

Guys, thanks so much for the input. You've been pretty specific about this with some excellent first hand knowledge (sorry to hear that!)

Ok, let's start from the beginning. What would you recommend as a suitable vine for growing up a 2m archway. Ideally with something edible, perennial, at the very least a nitrogen fixer as it's quite close to a greengage tree.

There must be alternatives to grapes or kiwi. I have lots of grapes nearby on another plot, so ideally I'd find something else, plus from what I've seen the grapes are pretty vigorous too.

There is the hardy kiwi "issai" which is supposed to be more compact in habit. Up to 12ft, but I would still have to prune it.

Thanks

[veggiechicken]

I've no idea about the nitrogen fixer bit but I grow a thornless berry over an arch. I think its a tayberry but not sure!
Its perennial but the old canes need cutting out on winter and the new canes tying in. The stems are easily 8-10' long and the fruit is lovely.
I can't show you the whole structure as its lost amongst all the other fruit bushes but here's the top bit.

[JT101]

At risk of answering my own question encase it's of any use to someone else, I did a bit of research and came up with the following options for an edible dwarf climbing vine:

Annuals such as beans, squashes or cucumber

Herbaceous perennials: Indian Spinach, Caucasian Spinach, American Groundnut, Perennial Sweetpea, Maypop Passion Fruit, Wood Vetch (nitrogen fixer) Dwarf Hops (Prima Donna or Golden Russell, Mashua or Nasturtium.

I guess ideally I'd have something that wasn't herbaceous i.e. left a woody structure behind so I didn't have to retrain it every year but that leads me back to Kiwi, and I think we've establish it's too vigorous for a 2m arch.

Think I'm gonna go for Hops since I plan on making beer eventually.

[veggiechicken]

Hop dies back in winter too.
Perennial sweetpea isn't edible.

[TrixC]

You’d be fine with a dwarf kiwi, they’re a different species and nowhere near as vigorous as the full size ones. Issai is often recommended as its self fertile but I’m not sure it’s the tastiest option, you might be better to plant a male and female on either side of the arch. They lose their leaves in winter but don’t die back.

[devonuk]

Actinidia arguta is not a dwarf species, it is exceptionally vigorous. The Issai cultivar is less vigorous than others, but still needs keeping on top of. When it establishes it is a great plant, but often dies in its first or second spring because it leafs out but then gets frosted and doesn't produce further shoots when it warms up again.

[JT101]

You’d be fine with a dwarf kiwi, they’re a different species and nowhere near as vigorous as the full size ones. Issai is often recommended as its self fertile but I’m not sure it’s the tastiest option, you might be better to plant a male and female on either side of the arch. They lose their leaves in winter but don’t die back.

Just looked up the Kiwi Issai, and it does seem to be self fertile. I tried to search for male or female plants, and no-one seems to specify what you get anyway.

[1Bee]

I was just going to suggest a thornless berry, but VC beat me to it. I vote for that one.

[TrixC]

Actinidia arguta is not a dwarf species, it is exceptionally vigorous. The Issai cultivar is less vigorous than others, but still needs keeping on top of. When it establishes it is a great plant, but often dies in its first or second spring because it leafs out but then gets frosted and doesn't produce further shoots when it warms up again.

That has not been my experience of this plant at all. I have three of them planted over an arch about the size of OP’s, and it has taken them several years to reach the top. I’m from NZ and have a lot of experience of growing full size kiwis, and the small varieties are certainly not in the same ballpark when it comes to vigour, I’m consider them as similar to a large flowered clematis.

OP I got my plants from Victoriana nursery and my local garden centre, I have the Male variety Weiki and two females Bayern and Ken’s Red.

[devonuk]

That has not been my experience of this plant at all. I have three of them planted over an arch about the size of OP’s, and it has taken them several years to reach the top. I’m from NZ and have a lot of experience of growing full size kiwis, and the small varieties are certainly not in the same ballpark when it comes to vigour, I’m consider them as similar to a large flowered clematis.

OP I got my plants from Victoriana nursery and my local garden centre, I have the Male variety Weiki and two females Bayern and Ken’s Red.

Ah OK - the Issai I established was more vigorous than that, and I heard/read or something that it was a relative weakling compared to other cultivars (and the species).