Muehlenbeckia complexa .
From £25.50 incl. VAT
A tiny leafed, vigorous, scrambling sort of thing. It’s evergreen and looks quite jungly. Best in shade and very salt tolerant. Clips beautifully. Please contact us for other stock availability and sizes.
![Hardiness traffic light amber](/wp-content/themes/understrap-child/images/amber-light.png)
Hardiness level Amber
It'll grow anywhere - but but best in shade or on the beach (very salt resistant). It can be used as a twining climber, a scrambler through bushes or as ground cover or for topiary - it makes lovely mounds. Or Living Walls. Severe cold will cut it back to the base - no bad thing with such a rampant plant. Always re-shoots. The flowers are minute and green. They are freely produced - which becomes more apparent in the autumn, when the plant will be smothered in tiny white/translucent bell shaped waxy seeds. Best for fairly mild gardens. Many years ago the cliff above the garden between Torquay Marina and Corbyn Beach was covered in Muehlenbeckia - about 2 vertical acres of the stuff. It's probably still there. One of those wonderful plants that offer so many possibilities that the limit is only that of your imagination.
Propagated by us from cuttings - originally from Tresco Abbey Garden in the Isles of Scilly.
There's a group of vigorous scrambling/climbing plants from New Zealand (this is one of them) that the Kiwis - exhibiting their characteristic combination of wit and cynicism - refer to as 'Bush Lawyers'. Why? Something along the lines of : "They're easy to walk into but once you're stuck in the middle of a clump, just try extracting yourself". Something like that. Evidently the lawyers in NZ are not as soft, pink and fluffy as our lovely variety back here in the Mother Land. They also have a plant they call the 'Bushman's Friend'. The Latin name of the plant is Brachyglottis repanda and the leaves are tough and thick and large and evergreen and the explanation for the common name is scatological and is associated with being caught short on a long country walk. Work it out. The plant is also known (rather boringly) as 'The Maori Postcard Tree'. It's so tough you could write on it, stick a stamp on it and pop it in a postbox. Hmmm..... Do you need to know this stuff? As a measure of the importance that the Maoris put on their native trees, a few hours of research on Wikipedia is enlightening. Enough for now.
N.B. When clipping several plants with the same tool, have a bucket containing a 5% bleach solution and swish your blades around for 30 seconds between plants to sterilise them. This will help avoid the chance of cross contamination of disease.
As with all woody plants, plant high, exposing as much of the taper at the base of the trunk as possible. Allowing soil to accumulate round the base of a tree can be fatal. Keep very well watered when first planted.
Additional Information |
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Size | 10L (H40cm-1.2m, W50cm-1m), 5L (H10-30cm, W40-70cm), Climbing 5L |
Soil Type | |
Light | |
Plant Type | Climbers, Evergreen, Ground Cover, Grown by Us, Screening Plants, Shrubs |
Continent of Origin | |
Specialist Plants | |
Features | |
Situation | Coastal, Exposed (To wind and sun), Mild City Gardens, Plants for Pots, Seaside, Sheltered Garden |
Flower Colour | |
Hardiness |
FAQs
How fast does Muehlenbeckia complexa grow?
Once happy and established it will spread rapidly.
How do you take care of Muehlenbeckia complexa?
It'll grow anywhere - sun, shade or on the beach (very salt resistant). The best results are to be had in a fairly mild garden however. It can be used as a twining climber, a scrambler through bushes or as ground cover or for topiary - it makes lovely mounds. Or Living Walls. You can have a lot of fun re-sculpting this every other year with such a reliable and rapid regrowth. Severe cold will cut it back to the base - no bad thing with such a rampant plant. Always re-shoots.
How tall does Muehlenbeckia complexa grow?
As high as you let it.
Do Muehlenbeckia complexa prefer sun or shade?
Sun or shade.
Is Muehlenbeckia complexa an indoor or outdoor plant?
Outdoor.