British Native Trees
and Shrubs

Ivy Hedera helix (Araliaceae)

Save that, from yonder-ivy-mantled tow’r
The moping owl does to the moon complain
Of such as, wand’ring near her secret bow’r,
Molest her ancient solitary reign.
Beneath those rugged elms, that yew-tree’s shade,
Where heaves the turf in many a mould’ring heap,
Each in his narrow cell for ever laid,
The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep.

Elegy – Written in a Country Churchyard
Thomas Gray [1716-1771]

Ivy, with its glistening, deep-green leaves, is our most versatile and vigorous evergreen climber, so ready to scale walls and clothe shady corners that it is treated with scant respect and often cast out in favour of more exotic and tender plants. Yet ivy will flourish where little else will grow. Its woody stems almost bond themselves to stones and trunks and can climb up to 30 m, but if there is no support for the masses of short rootlets along the stem it will scramble along the ground instead. The glossy stem leaves are 4-10 cm across with three to five distinct, triangular lobes and often lighter veins, whereas the flowering shoots which appear when the plant reaches the light, such as the top of a wall, bears uncut oval or wedge-shaped leaves. From September to November ivy produces attractive greenish-yellow, globular, stalked heads of tiny, five-petalled flowers with five prominent stamens which are later followed by clusters of leathery, black berries each containing up to five whitish seeds.

Ivy is found in woodlands and hedges, on banks, rocks and walls, on most soils except the most acid and waterlogged, throughout England up to altitudes of about 500 m.

Few other plants can have so many uses in the garden. It can be used as ground cover in dense shade or as a covering for a wall or an old tree stump, as a decorative frieze at the base of stonework or trailing from a container. As ground cover is can be controlled by mowing with the blades of a rotary mower set high. Although there are many different ivies available to the gardener, Hedera helix is the only form that regularly flowers and fruits in England, and it grows in almost any position and on almost any soil. In town gardens it is resistant to pollution. Contrary to popular opinion it does not harm healthy trees as long as it does not cover the crown and it does not damage walls as long as bricks or stone and mortar are sound. It is not a parasite and does not damage plants which it climbs, but is should not be planted close to young trees because it will compete for moisture and nourishment while they are becoming established. Overgrown plants can be cut back hard in spring. Flowering shoots can be affected by severe frosts. The easiest way to propagate this robust plant is from naturally formed layers or from cuttings taken in late summer, grown on in a shady spot and planted out a year later. Germination from collected seed can be erratic, but seedlings spread by birds will often appear near established plants and these can be grown on. Young plants prefer a short run across the ground before climbing.

Once it has gained height and thickness, ivy is wonderful for wildlife. The dense cover which it creates on trees and walls is invaluable for birds as a nest-site in summer and as shelter in winter. The holly blue butterfly lays its second brood on the flower buds and it is the foodplant of the swallow-tailed moth. The flowers produce copious nectar and are the last source of food before winter for many insects. By night the nectar is fed on by moths, especially the green-bridled crescent, and by day by other insects such as wasps, hoverflies and butterflies. Brimstone butterflies rely on the nectar before they hibernate. In winter the black berries are relished by blackbirds, thrushes, blackcaps, fieldfares, redwings, robins and wood pigeons.

Page last updated - January 10, 2002  

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