Solanum Dulcamara Variegatum Bittersweet

Solanum Dulcamara Variegatum is a deciduous wall climber with yellow-splashed foliage and purple flowers. It’s a good way to cover bare walls and fences in sunny, sheltered gardens.

Solanum is a large genus of climbing plants that’s native to Asia and Europe and has naturalised in North America. It’s a vigorous vine that grows in woodlands, marshes, hedges and scrubland.

The variety Solanum Dulcamara Variegatum is a hardy, woody vine. Its foliage is made of three leaflets per leaf - one larger leaf in the centre with two small flanking leaves. Foliage is green with a splashed yellow border. In summer, purple flowers with yellow centres appear matching the yellow margins, before maturing to green berries than eventually turn red for autumn. Birds love these berries.

This is a low-maintenance interesting climber for sunny walls and bird-lover gardens.

Height And Spread of Solanum Dulcamara Variegatum
Bittersweet Variegatum will reach a height of 2.5 metres and spread over a metre.

How Hardy Is Solanum Dulcamara Variegatum
This is a very hardy climber that can cope with freezing temperatures and drought once it’s established. It’s generally pest free.

How To Use Solanum Dulcamara Variegatum
Bittersweet Variegatum covers a sunny wall, fence line or unsightly shed. It can also be trained up an obelisk, over an arbor, or left to wind its way through large established shrubs such as holly or euonymus.
Its easy-care nature makes it a must-have in low-maintenance gardens, and its pollinator-friendly flowers followed by berries for birds are a good staple in a wildlife garden.

The pretty flowers and foliage suit cottage-style borders and wildflower meadows, but equally its margined leaflets are architectural enough for urban spaces.

How To Care For Solanum Dulcamara Variegatum
This hardy climbing vine will grow in any soil that’s well drained including problem sand and chalk. It needs plenty of sun but will cope with partial shade too. It will need a framework such as a trellis if it’s growing up a wall.
Water it well until it’s established and apply a thick layer of organic mulch to the roots in spring. It doesn’t need pruning, but you can manage its height and spread in the dormant winter months.