English

CISSUS

I LIKE TO think of my indoor garden as a stage. And the plants swarm inside in autumn like actors in a drama. They play the roles, they fill my life, they are my family. It’s all woven together, and each plant serves a function. These are the thoughts that run through my head—sometimes subliminally, occasionally coming to the surface—as I parade each pot into the house in autumn. Foremost in my mind is giving these tender guys shelter. The Noah’s Ark mentality is definitely a factor. But the house isn’t just a refuge. It’s my home. It’s our home. Beauty is not just a jumble; it must have order. It takes all types to achieve a functional community.

As the houseplants flow in (who am I fooling? as the houseplants are hauled in) to take their stations indoors, everything pivots around a few firmly established sentinels. Although my Cissus rhombifolia isn’t going to make top billing, it is a constant standby. Sometimes you need old faithfuls to keep the beat rolling. Blossoms aren’t in the cards for Cissus rhombifolia. Fireworks are definitely not in its future, nor is glitz. But when it comes to creating the mood of wall-to-wall greenery with zero trouble, where would I be without ‘Ellen Danica’?

I gave plain vanilla Cissus rhombifolia the cold shoulder a few years ago. Anything that looks identical to poison ivy is not going to get far in my home. I would’ve been ecstatic if the plant, called the grape ivy, really did resemble a grape leaf. But no. Poison ivy came too readily to mind. Plus, it was prone to leaf diseases. I’ve read that powdery mildew is a problem, but mine seemed susceptible to a type of unsightly black spot. Anyway, out it went.

Cissus rhombifolia ‘Ellen Danica’ is much more graceful, and you can find huge plants for a song. With deeply cut, oak-shaped leaves on climbing stems with tendrils galore, I use mine to camouflage the toilet tank (don’t ask what happens when I call a plumber). You laugh. But if you’re really with me on this, why not the toilet? I’ve never met one with soft lines; they all could use a few meandering branches to break the sharp angles. Needless to say, the toilet isn’t positioned

I LIKE TO think of my indoor garden as a stage. And the plants swarm inside in autumn like actors in a drama. They play the roles, they fill my life, they are my family. It’s all woven together, and each plant serves a function. These are the thoughts that run through my head—sometimes subliminally, occasionally coming to the surface—as I parade each pot into the house in autumn. Foremost in my mind is giving these tender guys shelter. The Noah’s Ark mentality is definitely a factor. But the house isn’t just a refuge. It’s my home. It’s our home. Beauty is not just a jumble; it must have order. It takes all types to achieve a functional community.

As the houseplants flow in (who am I fooling? as the houseplants are hauled in) to take their stations indoors, everything pivots around a few firmly established sentinels. Although my Cissus rhombifolia isn’t going to make top billing, it is a constant standby. Sometimes you need old faithfuls to keep the beat rolling. Blossoms aren’t in the cards for Cissus rhombifolia. Fireworks are definitely not in its future, nor is glitz. But when it comes to creating the mood of wall-to-wall greenery with zero trouble, where would I be without ‘Ellen Danica’?

I gave plain vanilla Cissus rhombifolia the cold shoulder a few years ago. Anything that looks identical to poison ivy is not going to get far in my home. I would’ve been ecstatic if the plant, called the grape ivy, really did resemble a grape leaf. But no. Poison ivy came too readily to mind. Plus, it was prone to leaf diseases. I’ve read that powdery mildew is a problem, but mine seemed susceptible to a type of unsightly black spot. Anyway, out it went.

‘Ellen Danica’ is much more graceful, and you can find huge plants for a song. With deeply cut, oak-shaped leaves on climbing stems with tendrils galore, I use mine to camouflage the toilet tank (don’t ask what happens when I call a plumber). You laugh. But if you’re really with me on this, why not the toilet? I’ve never met one with soft lines; they all could use a few meandering branches to break the sharp angles. Needless to say, the toilet isn’t positioned right in the window, but the cissus does fine with low light. I’m not saying no light, but it definitely does not need to monopolize a window.

Also in the ironclad category is Cissus antarctica, with beech-shaped leaves and almost no redeeming qualities whatsoever. It’s clumsy, boring, and virtue-free. However, you can’t kill it. If survival is your primary criterion, go for it. More interesting is tiny C. striata, which basically looks like someone shrank the big grape ivy and made it demure. Cissus striata isn’t quite as easy, but it’s almost up there in the impossible-to-kill department. I grow it in terrariums to look like a miniature grape, and it performs the ruse and tolerates high humidity without batting an eyelash.

Not quite so fail-safe is Cissus discolor. Although it is readily available, this cissus can be a challenge in a home environment. Known as the rex begonia vine, the long, pointed foliage is plush velvet with deep purple midrib and veins against cream. The tendrils are reddish, and so is the underside of the leaves. It’s just stunning. But the foliage is rarely in perfect shape and tends to melt away fairly quickly after you remove it from the greenhouse where it was purchased (and where it had high humidity, high light, and all sorts of other unachievable benefits). In other words, it’s prone to pouting.

All cissus climb by tendrils and would love a trellis for getting a leg up. Equally effective is letting them dangle down. Either way, they object to being overwatered. During the winter, their growth tends to slow down. At other times of the year, they’re full speed ahead, making such fast tracks that keeping ahead of their mass can be a chore. If possible, try to direct their progress onto sanctioned supports. If left to their own devices, the tendrils will enlist anything within grabbing distance including the curtain rod.

Cissus species

• ALSO CALLED: grape ivy