Hedera helix 'William Kennedy' - Ornemental Ivy

Hedera helix ‘William Kennedy’ – Ornemental Ivy

Sophisticated ground cover for medium to large surfaces.

Very branchy ivy. Short internodes. Its shoots are weak, about 20 cm per year.

Medium to small foliage, very dense and thick. Leaves extremely variable in shape, some unlobed, others three-lobed, often asymmetrical. Lobes generally rounded. Blade gray-green, speckled with silvery green and narrowly edged with white.

£12.90

Cont.

1L pot 2L pot 4L pot 7L pot

Clear

Category Ivy

Description

Ornemental ivy – Hedera helix ‘William Kennedy’

In a nutshell

Ornamental ivy, Hedera helix ‘William Kennedy’, is a refined ground-cover ivy that looks great on medium to large surfaces.

It’s a very branchy ivy. The internodes are short. Its shoots are weak, about 20 cm per year.

The medium to small foliage is very dense and thick. Leaves are extremely variable in shape, some unlobed, others three-lobed and often asymmetrical. The lobes are generally rounded. The leaf blade is gray-green, speckled with silvery-green and narrowly edged with white.

History

This cultivar is a mutation of Hedera helix ‘Little Diamond’ discovered in 1965 by Charles Bond, Brent Park and Gardens, London, UK, and described and introduced by Stephen Taffler. He named it ‘William Kennedy’ in honor of Fred Kennedy’s son, who bought the plant from him and died of leukemia.

Technical leaflet - Hedera helix 'Wiliam Kennedy'

Botanical information

Family: Araliaceae
Genus : Hedera
Species: helix
Cultivar: ‘William Kennedy’
Pierot classification: variegated ivy, miniature ivy
Foliage stage: juvenile
Species origin: Europe, from Spain to Norway, but little on the Atlantic coast.
Cultivar origin: sport of ‘Little Diamond’ found in 1965 in a flowerbed in Brent’s Park, London.

Description of Hedera helix ‘William Kennedy’

Growth habit: stocky, spreading
Number of lobes: 0 to 3 lobes in general
Leaf length: 1.5 to 3 cm
Sheet width: 1 to 2.5 cm
Leaf color: grey-green, speckled with silvery-green and narrow white margins
Leaf apex: rounded, often obtuse
Leaf base: truncated to slightly cordate
Color of veins: silvery green
Internodes: 1 to 1.5 cm
Stem and petiole color: greenish purple stems, green petiole
Hairs: stellate, 3 to 5 branches

Planting, growing and care instructions for Hedera helix ‘William Kennedy’.

Exposure: sun, part shade
Hardiness: -8°C
Soil moisture: cool soil
Soil PH: neutral or calcareous
Soil type: all
Soil richness: ordinary or humus-bearing
Use: ground cover, hanging baskets, pots, window boxes
Development: moderate
Pruning: once a year
Pests: very rare (red spider mites, scale insects)
Diseases: very rare (leaf spots)

Ivy in literature

“The ivy of your arms binds me to this world.
I cannot die. He who dies forgets”

Louis Aragon, Elsa’s Eyes

Additional information

Weight	N/A
Stock 9cm and 1L pots	0 pot
Stock containers of 2 or 4L	3 to 5 containers
Stock big articles	0 big article
Shape	Compact, Spread out, Stocky, Tuft
Appearance of foliage	Red in winter, White variegated
Possible uses	Ground cover, Hanging plant, Pots or planters
Exposure	Partial shade, Sun
Hardiness	Less hardy
Ease of cultivation	Medium
Development speed	Medium
Development vigor	Medium
Classification according to the Pierot system	From 'Pittsburgh', Miniature, Variegated
Award	No known award