Shrub · Polygonaceae
Silver Lace Vine
Fallopia baldschuanica
Twining stems and heart-shaped leaves that vanish under a froth of tiny creamy-white flowers.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 4–9
20–35 ft · 6.1–10.7 m
Overview
Silver lace vine is a mass of slender, twining stems that wind upward and weave across any support. Along them sit bright green, heart-shaped leaves that clothe the stems in green. By late summer the whole plant seems to foam over as countless tiny flowers open at once.
Those flowers reward a close look. Each one is small and creamy-white, tinged toward pale green, and they cluster into frothy, lacy sprays that drape and nod along the stems. The sprays give off a soft fragrance, and up close the effect is of pale lace laid over green. A single season stretches the growth 10 to 15 feet, so the flowering curtain thickens quickly.
Beneath the bloom, the plant's frame stays on show. The stems are thin and pliable, twining over one another into a dense green tangle rather than gripping with tendrils. The heart-shaped leaves cover that framework from top to bottom, so even out of flower the vine reads as a solid sheet of green. Hardy from zone 4 to 9, it holds that leafy fullness through hard weather.
Care
The short version: give this bright-leaved, lacy-flowered vine full sun and any well-drained soil, water it only while young, hold off on feeding, and cut it back hard each late winter to keep its dense growth in check.
Light
In full sun the flowering is heaviest, and the sprays crowd thickest along the stems. Partial sun and partial shade still support growth, but the leaves carry fewer of the lacy white clusters as light drops.
Water
Young plants take regular water while they root in. Once settled the vine is very drought tolerant, its deep roots carrying the leafy top through dry weather, so extra water is needed only in a long dry spell, every 7 to 14 days at most.
Soil
Almost any well-drained soil suits the vine, from loam to silt to sand, across a pH of 5.5 to 8.0. Thin, poor ground actually holds the dense growth back a little.
Temperature
The stems and leaves are tough enough to hold from -29°F to 100°F (-34°C to 38°C). Summer heat and hard cold within that span leave the foliage unbothered.
Humidity
Open-air humidity is all the vine asks, so there is no level to track. The leaves stay full through whatever moisture the season carries.
Feeding
Feeding is seldom needed. The vine already piles on stem and leaf, and a single spring dose of a balanced or low-nitrogen feed helps only where growth looks thin. Too much nitrogen only thickens the rampant growth further.
Pruning
Pruning is the main job, because the vine flowers on new wood. A hard cut in late winter or early spring holds the size down and drives fresh, flowering stems, taken back to 1 to 3 feet for a full renovation. Lighter cuts through the season keep the tangle from closing over.
Repotting
Container growing is rare, and repotting rarer still. The signs a potted plant has run out of room are roots circling or pushing out of the container, soil that dries fast, and top growth that stalls.
Size & spacing
The vine climbs into a broad sheet of stems and leaves, reaching 20 to 35 feet (6 to 10.5 m) tall and 2 to 25 feet (61 cm to 7.5 m) wide, so it needs room and a strong frame to carry all that green.
When to plant
Silver lace vine is set out in spring after the last frost, or in early fall while the soil stays warm. The tiny creamy-white flowers open on the season's new stems from midsummer into fall, which is why the hard cut comes in late winter, before those flowering shoots and their froth of bloom form.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: Late winter to early spring, 6-8 weeks before last frost (seed propagation is uncommon; cuttings and layering are easier).
- Plant: Spring after last frost, or early fall.
- Harvest: Mid/late summer into fall (roughly July to frost).
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Little troubles this vine beyond its own thick, fast growth. Most of what shows up is a matter of holding back the tangle of stems rather than treating a sick plant. Match the look of the problem below and step in before the green swallows more ground.
Stems overrunning the support and tangling into the garden
This heavy, tangled growth is the natural vigor of silver lace vine on full display. New stems can run 10 to 15 feet in a season, and the crown pushes up suckers and drops seed into nearby ground. A hard late-winter cut, steady summer trimming, and pulling seedlings and suckers early keep the mass of stems from swallowing everything around it.
Fix:
- Prune hard in late winter and again through the growing season to keep it in bounds
- Cut back to 1-3 ft for full renovation when overgrown
- Remove suckers and pull or mow seedlings as they appear
- Install a sturdy, oversized support and keep it clear of trees, shrubs, and gutters
Leaves eaten into lace and ragged holes in summer
Most of the chewing is Japanese beetles, insects in metallic green and bronze that reduce whole leaves to a skeleton of veins. Pale, winding trails threaded through a leaf mark leaf miners working inside. Dropping the beetles into soapy water at dawn and stripping the mined leaves is plenty, since fresh green quickly fills the gaps.
Fix:
- Hand-pick Japanese beetles into soapy water in early morning
- Tolerate minor damage, as the vine outgrows it
- Remove and dispose of mined leaves
Toxicity
Behind all that leaf and flower, silver lace vine hides no toxin: it carries no toxic listing and counts as safe for cats, dogs, and people. Nothing in the bright green leaves or lacy blooms will poison a curious mouth. The only real caution is the heavy pruning the dense growth demands.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Safe
A cat mouthing a bright green leaf takes no harm, as silver lace vine appears nowhere on the ASPCA's toxic list.
Dogs Safe
Dogs can chew the foliage without poisoning, though a big mouthful of any plant can leave a sensitive stomach briefly unsettled.
Horses Safe
No toxin hides in the leaves or stems, so horses can graze the vine without harm.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can browse the tender young shoots safely, finding nothing harmful in the green growth.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can feed around silver lace vine with no risk of poisoning.
Birds Safe
Birds come to no harm, and many slip into the dense, leafy tangle for cover.
People Safe
For people there is no poisoning risk in leaf or flower. The only real caution is the heavy pruning the thick growth demands, so wear gloves and use loppers.
No special handling for toxicity; wear gloves and use loppers for the heavy seasonal pruning this vine requires.
Varieties
Silver lace vine comes in only a couple of named forms, and they set themselves apart by the color of their leaves and stems and by their size.
Lemon Lace
A tamer, deer-resistant form reaching about 20 to 30 feet, its leaves a chartreuse-to-gold rather than plain green, carried on red stems beneath the same white flowers.
Species (Fallopia baldschuanica)
The plain species, and the most vigorous, its heart-shaped leaves a bright green and its tiny fragrant flowers massed in frothy, lacy sprays that run from creamy-white to greenish.
How to propagate
The same slender stems that twine and root so readily make silver lace vine simple to multiply. Cuttings, layering, and division all take hold with little effort, and stray seed sprouts in the ground nearby.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Late spring to summer (softwood/semi-hardwood) · A few weeks to root; established in one season
The easiest method by far. Softwood or semi-hardwood cuttings snipped from the new growth between late spring and summer strike roots within a few weeks and thicken into a full plant across the first season.
LayeringEasy
Spring to summer · One season
A trailing stem held against the soil anytime from spring to summer roots at the point of contact, giving a rooted new plant within one season.
DivisionEasy
Late winter to early spring · One season
In late winter or early spring, the crown splits cleanly, or a rooted sucker lifts away from the many the vine sends up, and each piece grows on through the season.
SeedModerate
Start indoors late winter to early spring · A season or more
Less common and slower going. Seed started indoors in late winter or early spring needs a season or more to establish, though the vine scatters its own seed into nearby ground as well.
Myths
Silver lace vine is only another name for Japanese or giant knotweed.
The two belong to one family but look nothing alike in growth. Silver lace vine climbs on slim twining stems and flowers white, while Japanese and giant knotweed stand up thick and bamboo-like and rank among the most destructive invasives known. Silver lace vine can still turn weedy, yet it stays the milder of the two.