Hedera helix 'Shamrock' - Ornemental Ivy

Hedera helix ‘Shamrock’ – Ornemental Ivy

Small leaves of 2 x 3 cm with three rounded lobes, the two lateral ones overlapping above the central lobe.

Dark green blade, becoming lighter in the sun.

Robust, branched ivy, which forms beautiful ground covers for small areas of the garden. Carpet of leaves very low to the ground.

This ivy won the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) Award of Garden Merit in 2012.

Voted “ivy of the year” by the American Ivy Society in 2007.

From £7.90

Cont.

9cm pot 1L pot 2L pot 4L pot 7L pot

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Category Ivy

Description

Ornemental ivy – Hedera helix ‘Shamrock’

In a nutshell

The ornamental ivy, Hedera helix ‘Shamrock’, has small leaves of 2 x 3 cm with three rounded lobes, the two lateral ones overlapping above the central lobe.

The leaf blade is dark green. It becomes lighter in the sun.

It is a robust, branched ivy, which forms beautiful ground covers for small areas of the garden. The carpet of leaves is very low to the ground.

History

This cultivar was discovered by Louis Hahn and his son in Pittsburgh, USA, in the 1950s. It was named after the Shamrock Hotel in Houston, Texas, where it was introduced in 1957.

Technical leaflet - Hedera helix 'Shamrock'

Botanical information

Family: Araliaceae
Genus: Hedera
Species: helix
Cultivar: ‘Shamrock’
Pierot classification: heart-shaped ivy
Leaf stage: juvenile
Origin of the species: Europe, from Spain to Norway, but little on the Atlantic coast.
Origin of the cultivar: it could be a sport of ‘Meagheri’.

Description of Hedera helix 'Shamrock'

Shape: spread, stocky
Number of lobes: 3 rounded lobes in general
Leaf length: 3 cm
Leaf width: 2 cm
Leaf colour: dark green
Vein colour: light green
Stem: well branched
Stem and petiole colour: greenish purple
Hairs: stellar, 3 to 5 branches

Tips for planting, growing and maintaining Hedera helix 'Shamrock'

Exposure: shade, partial shade, sun
Hardiness: -15°C
Soil moisture: fresh soil
Soil pH: neutral or calcareous
Soil type: all
Soil richness: ordinary or humus-rich
Use: ground cover, climbing, hanging basket, pots, planters, topiary
Development: moderate
Pruning: once a year
Pests: very rare (red spiders, scale insects)
Diseases: very rare (spots on leaves)

Ivy in literature

“The ivy creeping in the shadows of the old towers is like the past, it never really disappears.”

Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter

Additional information

Weight	N/A
Stock 9cm and 1L pots	11 to 20 pots
Stock containers of 2 or 4L	6 to 10 containers
Stock big articles	1 to 2 big articles
Shape	Compact, Quite branched, Spread out, Stocky
Appearance of foliage	Atypical, Green
Possible uses	Ground cover, Hanging plant, Houseplant, Pots or planters, Topiary
Exposure	Partial shade, Shade, Sun
Hardiness	Good hardiness
Ease of cultivation	Easy
Development speed	Medium
Development vigor	Medium
Classification according to the Pierot system	Bird's foot, From 'Pittsburgh'
Award	Ivy of the year, RHS Award of Garden Merit