Bittersweet Vine for Your Fall Decor

Bittersweet vine has amazing fall color that will last a long time. Use it in wreaths or vases to add some autumn beauty to your home decor.

 In the fall, I enjoy looking around for some bittersweet vine to use in my decor. There's something about the bright red berries with their outer yellow shells and their flower-like structure that attracts me.

Often, I can find bittersweet vine in the woodlands and along walking trails here in Pennsylvania.

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Beautiful Bittersweet Vine

The image above shows what it usually looks like in the woods. You'll see the yellow berries winding around in the brush up in the trees. I had to wrestle with some wild rose bushes to get to it, so make sure you're wearing gloves and long sleeves to protect yourself.

Here's the interesting little fact about this vine. It is actually Oriental Bittersweet, Celastrus orbiculatus, not our native American Bittersweet, Celastrus  scandens. The two are very similar, but American Bittersweet is not as hardy, has an orange covering, and the berries are on the terminals or ends of branches. Here's a great article explaining differences with a good image comparison.

Note: Oriental Bittersweet is considered an invasive species, so I don't recommend that you ever consider planting it, but if it's growing in the wild, cutting some of it can't hurt.

Pennsylvania invasive plant fact sheet

The berries are small and yellow and often in clusters.

Overnight the yellow berries pop open to reveal pretty red-orange ones underneath.

Don't they look like flowers?

Bittersweet vine is great for making wreaths since it's a woody vine. Just remove the shriveled leaves and wind the stems around together in a wreath shape. Do this right away so you don't lose too many berries or the yellow shell in the process.

Smaller pieces look great in a simple vase. Doesn't it scream fall? The beauty of nature never ceases to amaze me.

Love the look, but don't have any access to the plant? You can sometimes find cuttings at farmers' markets or florists. Of course, you can also buy artificial bittersweet online. It will last forever, but it's not quite as pretty.