Muehlenbeckia complexa Sealand Compact - Maidenhair Vine

Muehlenbeckia complexa 'Sealand Compact' is a compact form of Muehlenbeckia, a beautiful New Zealand plant that can climb or creep. It is often used in pots and hanging baskets, where it cascades down in delicate curtains. Its slender stems can climb on any support or root upon contact with the ground. Their dark colour contrasts pleasantly with its small round leaves, which are a vibrant green and can persist through winter. Easy to cultivate in regions with moderate cold, resistant to drought and wind, and extremely versatile and adaptable, this unusual bush is valuable for adorning the base of trees or shrubs, edging a sunny rockery or vegetated wall, stabilising an unsightly slope, or covering a fence.

Muehlenbeckia complexa is a plant from the Polygonaceae family, a cousin of sorrel and knotweed. It originates from New Zealand. In this dioecious shrub, there are plants that bear female flowers and others that bear male flowers. Its foliage persists until -6°C (21.2°F) in winter, and its stems can be destroyed by frost.  In well-drained soil, it will withstand brief frosts of around -10°C (14°F), regrowing from the stump quite late in spring. 

It thrives in well-draining, dry soil, even sandy or limestone soil, and tolerates wind and sea spray perfectly. This bush develops long stems that can reach up to 4m (13ft) in length, ranging in colour from reddish-brown to almost black, and covered in hairs that can root upon contact with the ground. Its growth is rapid. The foliage is composed of tiny, almost round, leathery leaves measuring 6 to 7mm (1in) in length, arranged alternately along the branches. They are a bright and rather light green, becoming dark green over time. Insignificant flowering occurs in August-September, depending on the climate. The flowers are tiny, clustered in groups of 2 to 4 units, measuring less than 1cm (1in) in diameter. They can be pale-yellow to cream-white. They are nectar-bearing and popular with bees and butterflies.

The main assets of Muehlenbeckia complexa 'Sealand Compact' are its robustness, rapid growth, and versatility. It can be planted in the ground in mild regions, or in pots or hanging baskets to decorate a patio or balcony. It is a worry-free plant that finds its place and thrives among other plants, as a ground cover in a rockery, at the base of shrubs and trees with which it tolerates root competition, in a hedge, or on a mesh fence as a privacy screen or windbreak. Its association with small spring bulbs (crocuses, narcissus, botanical tulips, hyacinths) is interesting for adding a splash of colour to the garden or flowering pots from the first beautiful days of spring. It can also be placed above low walls, for example with creeping rosemary, aubrietas, and wall bellflowers. It is also useful for stabilising sloping ground, with periwinkles, Algerian ivy, and creeping junipers, for example. It can be used in topiary art to vegetate a frame, with frequent and precise pruning.