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Climber Wall Shrub

Schisandra sphenanthera

Southern magnolia vine

A deciduous, twining climber, up to 7m tall, with obovate, minutely-toothed leaves 5-10cm long. Small, pendulous, orange-red flowers, around 1.5cm wide, are borne on slender stalks in late spring and early summer and are followed by scarlet-red berries

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Plant nurseries
4 suppliers

Ultimate height

4–8 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

2.5–4 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

North–facing or West–facing or East–facing or South–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Schisandraceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Climbing
Genus: Schisandra are deciduous or evergreen, monoecious or dioecious, twining shrubs. Leaves are alternate on slender stalks. Flowers are solitary or in small clusters, borne in the leaf axils, and sepals and petals are indistinguishable. In female flowers the carpels are densely packed into a head, but as they ripen they elongate, eventually forming a spike several inches long
Name status: Correct
Plant range: W China

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, moist but well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown in containers in a cold frame as soon as ripe. Propagate by softwood cuttings (greenwood) in early or mid-summer or semi-ripe cuttings in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Wall side borders
Hedging and screens

Pruning

Pruning group 12 in early spring

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

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