Sometimes, one gardener's weed is another's prized planting. Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) is one of those plants. A tough, creeping deciduous vine, Virginia creeper tolerates just about any amount of neglect and continues to creep and cover and smother anything in its path. Green in the summer, it provides lovely autumn colour with blue berries and purple foliage. The best time to take a Virginia creeper cutting for propagation is in summer.

  • Sometimes, one gardener's weed is another's prized planting.
  • The best time to take a Virginia creeper cutting for propagation is in summer.

Fill a planting pot with moist sand and use your finger, a pencil or chopstick to poke a 7.5 cm (3 inch) deep planting hole.

Choose a cutting from the tip of a Virginia creeper stem. Measure 12.5 cm (5 inches) back toward the base of the plant and cut the stem at a 45-degree angle.

Pull the leaves from the lower two-thirds of the Virginia creeper stem and dip the cut end into the rooting hormone.

Stick the stem into the prepared planting hole until it is buried to within 1.2 cm (1/2 inch) of the bottom leaves.

Place the potted Virginia creeper cutting in a lightly shaded area and water the soil whenever the top is dry. The cutting should root within 10 days. Allow the cutting to continue to grow in the rooting pot until it is 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 inches) long, when it can be planted outdoors in its permanent location.

WARNING

Do not allow the cutting to dry out between cutting it from the vine and planting it. Wrap it in a moist paper towel and keep it out of the sun if you can't plant it immediately.