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  • Amateur Gardening

    Ask John Negus

    Apr 06, 2021 6 minutes

    John will reply personally to all your gardening questions every week

    How can I make more chocolate?

    Q This plant is growing in my neighbour’s garden and looks amazing. Can you tell me what it is and could she give me seeds or cuttings so I can have my own?

    Beth Thompson, Beccles, Suffolk

    A The plant is a chocolate vine (Akebia quinata). Its common name comes from the scent of its flowers, though you need a still and sunny day to get their full effect. It is a lovely climber, native to Japan, China and Korea, but possibly not hardy in the UK except in a sunny, sheltered spot.

    The flowers appear in spring and are often missed as they are dark in colour and hidden by foliage. If pollinated by a second plant, they will create purple, sausage-shaped fruits up to 4in (10cm) in length.

    Akebia are happy in sun or partial shade in any soil as long as it is moist but not wet. They are fairly pest and disease-free

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