Where do you live? Search for your Ampelopsis, along with your state and the word "invasive." and see what comes up. It is a problem plant here in Pennsylvania.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ampelopsis

I live in Central Ohio

I live in Central Ohio

Porcelain vine will probably give you a problem even if not listed as invasive or noxious in Ohio. I'd return it - fast.

Its abundant seeds have a very high germination rate. It also reproduces vigorously from its roots and from stems in contact with the soil.

If I were you - I'd get myself an ornamental sweet potato vine or two. Cascades beautifully (can be trained up or down) and doesn't require care. True, you have to plant it every year, but they're inexpensive (as in cheap) at just about every big box garden center - HD, Lowes, Menards, Walmart...

Google sweet potato vine (Ipomoea Batatas), check out the images and see if this is something you'd like.

Porcelain berry vine is extremely invasive and is a prohibited plant in Massachusetts. With a similar climate it is likely to be invasive in Ohio as well.

How about a nice native perennial vine like Trumpet vine, Crossvine, or Dutchman's pipevine? Perennial vines are slower growing, but you could fill in with some fast-growing annual vines until they put on some size. There are many gorgeous annual vines that grow quickly and are so easy to start from seed.

I grew some MGs last year, Ipomoea purpurea'Split Personality', which hasn't reseeded at all, but I use a lot of mulch.

From my searches on Google about this plant, I seem to get very mixed messages about it. It seems half the people love it, and the other half despise it. Seems like people in more northern climates from zone 6 northward don't really have a problem with it being invasive, but posts I have seen from people in the southern states absolutely hate this vine.
So I am not really sure what to believe right now.
Does it make a difference that it is the Variegated kind of this vine?

@terrene,
I am wondering why it would be prohibited in Mass, but not in Ohio? We do have very similar climates. The garden center told me they don't sell anything that is considered invasive to the area, so I'm curious....

So if any of you are familiar with my quest to cover the back wall at the top of my hill

===>>> can you link us back..??

ken

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/peren/msg0506522722259.html?13

Bgaviator, most states do not have a prohibited plant list (yet). It is fairly new in Massachusetts. It doesn't mean that it isn't growing here, but it's illegal to distribute, sell, or propagate so the nurseries can't sell it or its cultivars any more. Other states that have a list include New Hampshire, Hawaii, and I think Oregon and Washington.

Just looked at your "hill" and scratch the idea of Trumpet Vine! It's too aggressive to grow near a structure. I was imagining a hill and fence at the back of your yard or something, lol.

Clematis would be very pretty, but I also agree with Duluth that an annual vine(s) would be nice in your planter box. They grow vigorously, flower continuously till frost, and if you don't like one you can try others the next year.

well thanks for all of your help. I think I am just going to try this Porcelain Vine. I have spent way too much money on this garden stuff this year to just rip it out and spend more money on something new. I have a co-worker who is awesome knowledgeable about plants and she said she is growing one of these without issue.....I think I will give it a go and see what happens.
Now if I can just get the Chocolate Chip Ajuga to quit flopping over and wilting anytime it gets a sunny day or goes 1 day without water, I would be a happy gardener!

If you're worried about the money, I would expect most garden centers would probably be willing to give you store credit at the very least (if not a total refund) for returning the plant. I've done that before without any problems when I had buyer's remorse about a plant shortly after getting it.
But if you want to keep it, I do think it is pretty and I hope it doesn't cause trouble.

I was under the impression that the variegated type of Ampelopsis is far less vigorous than the plain green type... so perhaps it won't be a disaster after all?

I've weeded plenty of the variegated (along with the non-variegated) seedlings of ampelopsis that have seeded into gardens several houses away from the parent plant. Perhaps it's not AS bad as the all-green, but the variegated certainly re-seeds prolifically in my climate.

Regarding your Ajuga I think you are on a hiding to nothing trying to get it to grow in full sun on a fast draining slope. It is a native of cool, damp, dappled shade on woodland edges. If it is flopping and begging for constant water it is really in the wrong place. I am sure someone here can recommend ground covers better suited to your situation.

yeah it seems as long as I keep the Ajuga watered with the sprinkler every morning, it does ok and is thriving. But I was kind of hoping for a ground cover that would need relatively little care. This is for my in-laws house, and they won't keep up with anything.
Maybe Sedums? Not sure how big they grow, but I do like the idea you can get more plants from stem cuttings....and from what I've read they thrive in sun and drought.

I have the variegated porcelain vine, live in Ohio, and it is not invasive. That is, it does not seed down or spread along the ground. The only problem I encounter is that it likes to climb up the snowball bush it's planted near instead of the trellis. I just pull it out, but it grows back fast. Just have to be vigilant. Of course this means it is not planted in full sun, so perhaps that is why it doesn't go crazy. I've grown it there for the past seven or more years. Bugs always seem to eat the buds before any blooms (and subsequent berries)come on. I love the variegated leaves and the blue berries.

I've had a variegated porcelain vine on a trellis on the west wall of my house for at least 10 years. It is between two Ernest Markham Clematis vines (each on their own trellis). It gets no fertilizer and no supplemental water. The soil is heavy clay which I'm pretty sure was amended pretty heavily when the three vines were originally planted. The area is currently somewhat on the dry side, since it no longer gets constant over-sprinkling from my neighbor.

The variegated porcelain vine is much smaller than the two clems (which I periodically treat as type 3s and hard prune in the spring to a few inches when they overflow their space.) It is quite well behaved, needs little pruning, and has never produced a seedling plant. I have topped it a few times over the years to keep it from getting too tall. The foliage is attractive (a nice contrast to the solid green of the two clems) and the berries quite lovely, but not terribly profuse.