Ornamental kiwi vine ‘Arctic Beauty’
* Common name: Kiwi vine ‘Arctic Beauty’
* Botanical name: Actinidia kolomikta ‘Arctic Beauty’
* What it is: A beautiful but under-used hardy woody vine with random leaves that look like somebody painted them white and/or pink. Male plants are most colorful, especially as they age. Females, when pollinated by a male, get berry-sized, smooth edible fruits (not like the fuzzy, egg-sized thingies at the grocery store). ‘Arctic Beauty’ is a male.
* Size: Can twine up to 20 feet but can be pruned to smaller sizes.
* Where to use: Grow males up a patio pergola or trellis along a big, bare foundation wall. Females should be grown on trellises away from where dropping fruits would be a detriment. Full sun to part shade.
* Care: Little, if any, fertilizer needed. Water in a drought and prune in late winter to thin out excess growth or to control size.
* Great partner: Pink-blooming coreopsis or white or pink creeping phlox make nice perennial partners. Or go with a mass of fringe-leafed annuals, such as purple alyssum or purple verbena.