creeping wire vine

Plant Pick: Creeping Wire Vine – Growing in Hypertufa

Meuhlenbeckia Axillaris aka Creeping Wire Vine

I have seen this ground cover called Creeping Wire Vine or Wandering Wire Vine, so you can expect to see it labeled whatever cute name comes to mind, I guess. Is that fair, by the way? I will probably need to order some since  I don’t have one at the moment, but I will get this plant so that I can put it in a large trough this year.

Update: I did get some and planted it in my hypertufa bowl and it seems to be doing well.

It is listed as hardy for my zone 6, but creeping wire vine is deciduous/herbaceous and will lose its leaves in the winter. Its structure does getting slightly woody but in my zone will lose its leaves,  so maybe it is decidu-baceous ?

Creeping Wire Vine with succulents

Deciduous ( loses its leaves) means usually shrubs and trees, or a plant keeping a year-round woody structure.  Think of a forsythia bush.  Herbaceous ( loses its whole structure) plants have no permanent structure and disappear completely below ground over winter. Think of a peony. 

The plant that I would like to have is the smaller size so that I can plant it in a large hypertufa trough along with some other plants. That way I can see for myself how far it will spread and increase throughout the year. It should make a good ground cover for a trough full of bulbs, right? The leaf color ranges from dark green to bronze during the year.

Creeping Wire Vine - Meuhlenbeckia Axillaris - perennial vine great in hypertufa


According to the information I can find, this vine is a woody prostrate vine which some say can become invasive if planted in the ground. I am not planning on planting it in the ground, but inside this large garden planter . If I can get it to grow successfully, I would like to root more pieces. Lots of plans for more and bigger planters.  I will be making more this year. I want a big new T Rex Trough like this one

Creeping Wire Vine - Muehlenbeckia axillaris in Hypertufa

Statistics on this plant:

  • Size: 1-2 inches high
  • Interest: foliage, has tiny but insignificant flowers
  • Spread: 18 inches
  • Exposure: part sun to sun
  • Zone 6-10 deciduous in colder zones
  • Soil: any with needs excellent drainage! Drought tolerant
  • Rock gardens and topiaries, nice cascading from pots
Aptly named for its tough wire branches or vines

You can prune this easily and it grows back in and fills the area well, so it is perfect for a topiary.
The pruned pieces can be rooted for new plants so I am sure I will be trying many new starts if it should die next winter.  It can freeze in colder zones and the leaves turn black, but then is supposed to rebound in the spring.

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You can purchase one here if you can’t find it in your area.  Creeping Wire Plant – Muehlenbeckia

Of course, I will need to make a special hypertufa planter for this one. Beside my giant hypertufa garden planter, I think it would also be really nice in a basket-weave textured bowl and perhaps insert a handle made from a grapevine so that there is something to allow the vine to twine upon. We will see how this turns out.
Do you have this plant already? Any advice for me?

11 Comments

  1. Gary Maly says:

    Kim,
    I found it in variegated form and have it planted in a tufa planter hoping it overwinters.

    1. Nice, I sure hope it survives. Someday I would like a little topiary with that stuff.

  2. I have several of these, one trained on a topiary shape. I am just east of Atlanta and it does very well under trees in tall shade. I have seen it in other pots in full sun and it looks great. Mine do not lose their leaves in winter. Mine stay in pots.

    1. Sounds great. I am sure mine would lose leaves in winter. We get so cold in Ohio.

  3. michaele anderson says:

    I initially had it in a container but it jumped ship, rooted in the ground and proceeded to take over. I’m sure if you are forewarned, you can prevent that from happening and co-exist happily with it.

    1. Kim Smith says:

      I sure hope so. I won’t mind if it does play quietly in a container. We shall see.

  4. This is perfect for Texas!! Drought tolerant and sun!!!

    I would love to add this to your front yard. I am so glad you shared!

    1. Thanks, Crystal. I am so happy you visited. Just watching a Pinterest Hangout. Nice little vine!

  5. I tried this plant in a container in the shade and it was NOT happy. It was so pretty, draping over the edge of the planter. With more sun (which I don’t have at my front door) it would have been a wonderful container plant!

    1. I have a lot of sun here, so it should be just fine. And a front door topiary may work for me. Thanks for visiting!

  6. If I keep it in a container the first year, I will see how it behaves. But I like the way it looks.

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