Vitis ‘Roger’s Red’— An Ornamental Grape

As fall settles in and deciduous trees show off glorious hues of yellow, orange, red and purple, one outstanding performer that often fails to get attention is Vitis californica, our native California wild grape and its relatives. One of these relatives most commonly seen in nurseries is Vitis ‘Roger’s Red,’ although a smaller vine called ‘Walker Ridge’ is sometimes available.

This deciduous vine is not shy. ‘Roger’s Red’ can grow to at least 30 feet and will ramble over and up anything within the grasp of its tendrils, once it is established. Getting this climber established is easy, as it is very adaptable to a variety of conditions.

In the wild, Vitis californica is native to southwestern Oregon and California. In riparian woodlands, canyons and forests, it scrambles up trees such as oaks, cottonwoods, bays, or buckeyes. Although a beautiful sight, valley oaks and cottonwoods may succumb if the vine climbs into the upper canopy and smothers the foliage. It is often found near river and creek beds where moisture is available most of the year, although, as with many natives, these vines exhibit quite a bit of drought tolerance.

Vitis californica is important to wildlife as it provides shelter and food for many animals including coyote, opossum, skunks, California quail, mountain bluebird and many other creatures.

Although this native grape is suited to wild environments, it can be a wonderful addition to the home garden—if there is space for it. ‘Roger’s Red’ can quickly cover a trellis, arbor, or tree in just a few years. Over an arbor, it creates fairly dense shade in the summer.

This plant will grace a home garden with beauty year round. Bright green spring growth and the gray-green summer color make it a pleasing garden companion. Then in autumn, the vine really shines with purple grape clusters dangling against the blazing orange, red, and plum foliage. After the first few years, the gnarly, twisted trunk and branches provide an architectural winter scene.

For home garden settings, water ‘Roger’s Red’ deeply every 2 weeks or less often. Pruning can be vigorous and done during winter dormancy. Early training of the trunk system results in a pleasing shape as the vine grows.

In the wild, this vine grows in partial shade; however, in gardens with full sun and hot temperatures, it has proven to be quite happy. It can tolerate a range of soils from clay to sandy loam, but does prefer good drainage.

Once the grapes ripen in fall, expect a host of wildlife to move in. The most fun to watch are the birds who perform some real acrobatics to eat grapes hanging down. The grapes are tasty for humans as well, but filled with seeds. Juice, jams and jellies can be made from the fruit.

Now for the caveats. As with any deciduous vine, clean up of autumn leaf drop can be a chore, especially if the vine is near flower beds. If grapes are not harvested or birds do not feast on all of them, dried clusters will drop and hundreds of volunteers may sprout the following spring. It is a tedious chore pulling up the little volunteer seedlings. Removing all grapes before they ripen prevents any self-sowing.

Don’t forget that this is an aggressive vine. Vines are likely to wander off a trellis or other support and reach out to neighboring structures or trees. Continued vigilance is needed to keep it in bounds. And ‘Roger’s Red’ is subject to the usual diseases of grapes, such as fungal problems and mites. In spite of the few negatives, the vine is fairly trouble-free.

Noted horticulturalist, Roger Raiche, the namesake of ‘Roger’s Red,’ was generous enough to discuss the origins and recent developments of the lineage of the vine. He revealed that it is “now considered to be a hybrid between V. californica, the California grape, and a European grape (V. vinifera) cultivar called ‘Alicante Bouschet,’ a deep red-fruited (pulp, skin and juice) grape grown widely in the last century in Sonoma and many other counties.

This was determined by a geneticist, Jerry Dangle, at Plant Foundations Services at UC Davis by comparing various genetic markers that are unique to each grape variety.

Roger continues: “I originally collected it in late October 1983, growing along Palmer Creek Rd. West of Healdsburg, growing among yellow fall-colored V. californica. Initially, and for many years afterward, I considered it to be simply a red fall leaf form of the native grape, and thus it is still sold widely as such. In the last decade or more, there has been considerable speculation whether ‘Rogers Red’ was a pure V. californica, another variety entirely, or a hybrid. Jerry Dangle’s work proves the case to be the latter.”

Thus, when discussing this grape, the correct designation will be Vitis ‘Rogers Red’ or V. X ‘Rogers Red’ but not V. californica ‘Rogers Red’.”

January 2020