Actinidia kolomikta Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Variegated Kiwi Vine

Actinidia kolomikta

£18.99
Hardy in the UKSun-lovingShade-tolerant
Pot size
15cm / 1.5L £18.99

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Description

Actinidia kolomikta, sometimes called the variegated kiwi vine or hardy kiwi, is one of the most arresting climbers you can grow outdoors in Britain. Its real magic is in the foliage: as the vine matures, the green heart-shaped leaves become dramatically splashed and dipped in shades of pink and creamy white, as though dipped in paint. No two leaves are quite the same, and the effect is at its boldest on a sunny wall from late spring through summer.

Beyond the foliage, this Actinidia kolomikta plant offers small, lightly fragrant white flowers in early summer, followed (where a male and female plant grow together) by smooth-skinned, grape-sized fruits that ripen to a sweet, edible kiwi in autumn. It is a deciduous, twining climber that can reach around 4-5m, taking roughly five to ten years to fill its space.

How and where to grow it

This is a genuinely tough, fully hardy vine, shrugging off the cold across the UK once settled in. Give it a sheltered, sunny or partly shaded spot, ideally a south or west-facing wall or fence where morning sun can light up the variegation. A sheltered position also protects the soft spring growth from late frosts.

  • Position: full sun to partial shade, with shelter from harsh winds
  • Soil: any fertile, moist but well-drained soil, chalk, clay, loam or sand
  • Support: trellis, wires or a pergola for the stems to twine around

Plant it against a warm wall, over an arch, or let it scramble up a pergola where the colour can be admired at close quarters. Like other climbers in the kiwi vine family it appreciates a deep, moisture-retentive root run, so mulch well in spring and water through dry spells while it establishes. Cats can be drawn to the stems much as they are to catnip, so a little protection around a young plant is wise.

As part of our Hardy Exotics range, every Actinidia kolomikta we send out is a strong, well-rooted plant, carefully grown and ready to bring something genuinely unusual to a British garden.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Variegated Kiwi Vine

Plant me in full sun and I will stand a UK winter outdoors.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
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About Variegated Kiwi Vine

Actinidia kolomikta needs full sun or partial shade and moist but well-drained soil. It is hardy to around −15°C and stands a UK winter outdoors.

Good for

Screening & Privacy Shade Walls & Fences

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

Hardy Exotic (H5): down to around −15°C. Hardy through a cold UK winter.

Hardy (RHS H5), deciduous climber. The pink-and-white leaf variegation develops best in good light on an established plant. Read moreShow less

Hardy (RHS H5), deciduous climber. The pink-and-white leaf variegation develops best in good light on an established plant.

Position

Full sunPartial shadeSouth-facingWest-facingSheltered
Full sun to light shade; a warm, sheltered wall encourages variegation and flowering. Read moreShow less

Full sun to light shade; a warm, sheltered wall encourages variegation and flowering.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandMoist but well-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH
Fertile, well-drained soil. Provide a sturdy support — it twines to 4–5m. Read moreShow less

Fertile, well-drained soil. Provide a sturdy support — it twines to 4–5m.

Watering

Keep moist while establishing and water in dry spells. Prune in winter to manage size. Read moreShow less

Keep moist while establishing and water in dry spells. Prune in winter to manage size.

Mature size

Height4–5 m
Spread1.5–2.5 m

Reaches full size in 5-10 years

Growth habit

Climbing

Flowering

May–Jun

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Deciduous

Scent

Lightly fragrant white flowers

Pruning

Vigorous climber needing little pruning. In early spring thin out crossing or overcrowded stems and shorten growth to fit its support.

Toxicity

No reported toxicity to people or pets; fruit is edible.

Native range

NE Asia (China, Japan, Korea, E. Russia)

Family

Actinidiaceae

Also known as

Actinidia kolomikta

Genus

Actinidia
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Actinidia kolomikta hardy enough to survive a UK winter?

Yes. This is one of the hardiest ornamental kiwis, tolerating temperatures down to around -25C once established, so it comfortably survives winters across the whole of the UK. The young spring growth can occasionally be nipped by a sharp late frost, so a sheltered spot is ideal.

Why aren't the leaves of my plant showing pink and white colour?

The striking pink, white and green variegation develops mainly on male plants and tends to intensify as the vine matures, usually from its second or third year. Colour is also strongest in good light, so a position with plenty of sun (ideally morning sun) brings out the best display.

How big does Actinidia kolomikta grow and does it need support?

It is a vigorous twining climber that typically reaches 4-5m in height and spread, taking around 5-10 years to reach full size. It needs a sturdy support such as a trellis, wires or a pergola to twine around, and it is excellent for clothing a warm wall or fence.

Does it produce edible kiwi fruit?

It can. The smooth-skinned, grape-sized fruits are sweet and edible, eaten whole without peeling. To get a crop you usually need both a male and a female plant for pollination, though the plant is most often grown for its spectacular foliage rather than its fruit.

Can I grow it in a large pot?

Yes, it grows well in a large, deep container with a good multi-purpose or loam-based compost, provided you give it a support to climb. Keep it well watered in summer, feed through the growing season, and be ready to pot on or top-dress as it establishes.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
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Packaged with Care

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

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Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

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Actinidia kolomikta
£18.99