Types of Berry Vines

Produces Exotic Fruit

• Some exotic berries grow on vines. The ostentatious purple-white blossoms on purple passionfruit (Passiflora edulis) come out for one day, and about 80 days later you can pick its edible yellow berries to make juice and confections. Considered invasive in some areas, this vine grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 12. Variegated kiwi vine (Actinidia kolomikta) is a woody plant for USDA zones 4 through 8 featuring heart-shape, green leaves with white and/or pink splotches. The female plants produce berries in early fall and require a male for pollination.

Attracts Birds, Hummingbirds and Butterflies

• Honeysuckle (Lonicera flava) and trumpet honeysuckle “Alabama Crimson” (Lonicera sempervirens “Alabama Crimson”) first bear hummingbird- and butterfly-attracting flowers, followed by ornamental bird-attracting berries. Honeysuckle is native to the southeast U.S. and grows in USDA zones 5 through 8. Its orange-yellow blossoms yield orange to red berries. Gardeners in USDA zones 4 through 9 love the blue-green foliage and long, tubular, crimson-red flowers on “Alabama Crimson,” which give red berries. Both vines produce inedible berries and can grow near black walnut trees.

Cut Flower Arrangements

• Asparagus fern (Asparagus setaceus) and variegated porcelain vine “Elegans” (Ampelopsis gland. brevipedunculata “Elegans”) are attractive additions to cut flower arrangements. Asparagus fern is a bushy, evergreen twining vine with fern-like foliage that grows best in partial shade in USDA zones 9 through 12. Its deep-purple berries come out after it displays small white flowers. The green leaves on “Elegans” are splashed with white, and its known for putting out eye-catching clusters of berries in brilliant porcelain blue. This vine grows in USDA zones 4 through 9 and both vines bare inedible berries.

For Craft Projects

• Certain types of berry vines are wonderful for making wreaths and other decorations. The edible blue-black berries on summer grape (Vitis aestivalis), also known as bunch grape, attract birds, mammals and wasps in USDA zones 5 through 8. This is just one of many varieties of grapes you can turn into wine, juice and jelly. The red berries on American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) add fall and winter interest to landscapes in USDA zones 3 through 8. Native to central and eastern North America, female plants require pollination from a male plant to produce the attractive, but inedible, bird-attracting fruit.