Hi there,
My Virgina creeper has started to look odd. I think it’s fungus but not 100%. I’ve been looking searching online and haven’t been able to find an image of an infected vine that looks like this. Are you able to tell me if this is fungus or not? If it is fungus, should I cut off the infected leaves? At least half the vine looks like this.
Thanks for contacting the Toronto Master Gardeners, and for providing a great photo ! Yes, I think your Virginia Creeper has a fungal disease, perhaps brought on or made worse by the wet weather we have had recently. It looks like a leaf spot disease, which usually causes only cosmetic damage, and is not uncommon in the spring and early fall when there tends to be more rain. Good cultural practices like avoiding the leaves when watering and cleaning up fallen plant material will likely be all that is needed to manage this disease. Picking off infected leaves would be helpful but probably not practical since a lot of the plant is infected. Most important would be to remove all dead plant material at the end of the season so that the spores can’t overwinter there. Here is a website with more information about leaf spot disease :
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/diseases/fungal-spots.aspx
We have previously received a question similar to yours, with a photo that is also very similar. Our answer to that question provides information about a specific leaf spot disease that could be what you have on your Virginia Creeper. Here is a link to this question and our response:
https://www.torontomastergardeners.ca/askagardener/virginia-creeper-3/
Good luck, and hopefully your Virginia Creeper will be back in good health in the spring !