Hedera helix - English ivy

Hedera helix – English ivy

Excellent ground cover or ideal climber, depending on the use you reserve for it or the environment in which it grows.

Leaves formed of 3 to 7 lobes, with a clearly more developed central lobe. Overall shape triangular to oval.

Veins marked with a paler green, sometimes silvery or whitish.

£4.90

Cont.

9cm pot 1L pot

Clear

Category Ivy

Description

English ivy – Hedera helix

In a nutshell

Common ivy, Hedera helix, or English ivy, or wood ivy, is an excellent ground cover or an ideal climber, depending on the use you reserve for it or the environment in which it grows.

Leaves form 3 to 7 lobes, with a central lobe that is clearly more developed. The overall shape is triangular to oval. The base is variable, sometimes sagittate, sometimes cordate, rounded or even truncated.

The veins are a pale green, sometimes silvery or whitish.

The leaves of the adult stage are elliptical or oval, without lobes.

History

This species has existed since the end of the Secondary Era, about 100 million years ago. It grew in warm, humid regions alongside tropical plants.

Technical leaflet - Hedera helix

Botanical information

Family: Araliaceae
Genus : Hedera
Species: helix
Pierot classification: ivy type
Foliage stage: juvenile
Species origin: Europe, from Spain to Norway, but little on the Atlantic coast.

Description

Growth habit: creeping or climbing
Number of lobes: usually 3 to 7
Leaf length: 4 to 11 cm
Sheet width: 4 to 12 cm
Leaf color: pale to dark green
Color of veins: pale green, sometimes silvery
Stem and petiole color: green
Hairs: stellate, diameter 0.2 to 1.3 mm, whitish, with 4 to 8 rays
Flowering color: cream
Flowering period: September to December
Fructification: black berries
Fruiting season: October to April

Planting, cultivation and maintenance tips

Exposure: shade, part shade
Rusticité : -19°C
Soil moisture: cool soil
Soil PH: neutral or calcareous
Soil type: all
Soil richness: ordinary or humus-bearing
Use: ground cover, climber, hedge
Development: vigorous
Pruning: once a year
Pests: very rare (red spider mites, scale insects)
Diseases: very rare (leaf spots)

Ivy in literature

“The walls, adorned with ivy, whisper memories of a bygone era.”

William Wordsworth, Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey

Additional information

Weight	N/A
Stock 9cm and 1L pots	51 to 100 pots
Stock containers of 2 or 4L	0 cantainer
Stock big articles	0 big article
Shape	Spread out, Stocky
Appearance of foliage	Green
Possible uses	Climbing, Ground cover
Exposure	Partial shade, Shade
Hardiness	Very good hardiness
Ease of cultivation	Easy
Development speed	Medium
Development vigor	Vigorous
Classification according to the Pierot system	Ivy ivy
Award	No known award