Pepper Vine(ampelopsis sp.)

Anybody ever work with pepper vine in the southeastern US. It's a semi invasive native, but since it's an Ampelopsis I'm considering training the huge trunks I have from yardadori similiar to Japanese Ampelopsis, aka Porcelain Berry.
(Bill....any tips, yours is gorgeous! LOL)
Ryan
http://japanesebonsaipots.net/

Ryan,

if I have the same vine,which I got from my backyard in Lafayette,Louisiana,and it now thrives in the West Indies/Caribbean.It is easy to train,but you would need a very large trunk and the wood rots easily.

http://www.walterreeves.com/gardening-q-and-a/peppervine-identification/

I stopped bothering to try and train it.However,a sport produced a white and green specimen, which I am growing.
Hopefully it will survive.
Later.
Khaimraj

*It is also listed as fast growing,but short lived.

Pretty big trunks on these, 2-4". Given the feminine nature of porcelain berry bonsai, I think these trunks are plenty big enough for some nice femininely styled cascades and semis....given the nature of this beast, I think that's the way to go. The berries are quite pretty, yellow turning to purple, almost black. Nice fall color here too. It's often said to be poisonous, but Felder Rushing tells me that that's an urban myth just because the berries taste terrible.

I've never tried pepper vine, but I have seen some nice ones that would be worth the digging effort. God knows they are everywhere, like Virginia creeper, and free.

I haven't ever had any luck down here with the porcelain berry like Bill V has with the small, finely cut foliage. But we do have a similar one here with bigger foliage and berries that makes a HUGE vine like a wild grape or scuppernong. I found a giant last spring at the back of the vacant lot next to our shop. It's growing up into some trees and then onto power lines. I cut it back hard back in the spring and it's popping new shoots. I'll dig it this winter. I didn't want to bother with it last year because sometimes big stuff like that just dies when you cut it back really severely. Some of the cuts were as big as my arm, and this thing has really deep fissured bark. I've never seen anything like it.

Russell,
You lucky dog! I've seen those around, but never anything worth digging. Sounds like a fun time digging :-)
I've got a ton of stuff I cut back Spring and early summer to dig this winter myself. Had the same experience you've had with really big cutbacks like that. Native Beauty Berry and American Hornbeam especially.
Ryan
http://japanesebonsaipots.net/