Plant, Tree & Shrub Library

Description:

A newer wine grape that's gaining popularity, produces an abundance of large aromatic reddish-purple fruit in fall, excellent for wine or juice; a vigorous vine, use as a screen for arbors or trailing along fences, requires regular pruning and full sun

Edible Qualities

Frontenac Grape is a woody vine that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. It produces clusters of deep purple round fruit with navy blue overtones which are usually ready for picking from early to mid fall. The fruits have a sweet taste and a juicy texture.

The fruit are most often used in the following ways:

• Juice-Making
• Wine-Making

Features & Attributes

Frontenac Grape has rich green deciduous foliage on a plant with a spreading habit of growth. The lobed leaves turn yellow in fall. It produces abundant clusters of deep purple grapes with navy blue overtones in mid fall.

This is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous woody vine with a spreading, ground-hugging habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage. This is a high maintenance plant that will require regular care and upkeep, and requires a special pruning regimen to reliably produce fruit; consult a specific reference guide or contact the store for proper pruning techniques. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Spreading

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Frontenac Grape is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping

Planting & Growing

Frontenac Grape will grow to be about 10 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. As a climbing vine, it should be planted next to a fence, trellis or other rigid structure where it can be trained to grow upwards on it. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years. This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn't require a second plant nearby to set fruit.

This woody vine is typically grown in a designated area of the yard because of its mature size and spread. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.