Common ivy

Synonyms: Climbing ivy, Caucasian ivy, Crimean ivy, snake ivy, climbing Hedera, Hedera caucasigena Pojark., Hedera helix ssp. caucasigena (Pojark.) Takht. & Mulk., Hedera taurica Carriere, Hedera nepalensis K. Koch, Hedera acuta, Hedera arborea, Hedera baccifera, Hedera grandifolia.

Common ivy (Hedera helix L.) – a species of evergreen climbing shrubs of the genus Ivy (Hedera) in the family Araliaceae (Araliaceae). It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 in Species Plantarum, Tomus I: 202. The genus name is derived from the Greek "oedon" — "singer, bard" (some botanists believe that the genus name comes from the Celtic "hedea" — "cord") and the species name from "helisso" - "to twine".

In nature it occurs in oak and beech forests, in lowlands and foothills. It grows throughout Europe (except Northern Europe) and in southwestern Asia, as well as on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, in Japan, Afghanistan, and the Himalayas. It ascends mountains up to 1000–3000 m above sea level.

It is a twining evergreen plant up to 30 m long, creeping or climbing supports with the help of numerous adhesive roots. As groundcover it forms a height of 10–30 cm. Grows slowly. Bark gray. Vegetative shoots are stellately pubescent with long white hairs, with adhesive roots 0.6–1.0 cm long. On vegetative shoots leaves reach 2–10 (15) cm in length and up to 5 cm in width, broadly ovate to triangular, entire-margined, deeply 3–5 (up to 9)-lobate, with a somewhat projecting middle lobe, with a cordate base.

Leaves leathery, dense, in youth densely covered with white hairs, later glabrous, dark green, glossy, with lighter veins. On flowering shoots the leaves are entire, not lobed, ovate or elliptic-rhomboid, with a rounded or truncate base, glossy, dark green. Petioles vary in length, but are not longer than the leaf blade.

Flowers in simple rounded umbels 4–6 cm in diameter, which are gathered 3–10 together in a compound raceme 2–3.5 cm in diameter or solitary. Flowers bisexual, small, yellow-green. Peduncles, pedicels and calyx densely white-pubescent. Flowers in September–October.

Fruits 0.6–0.9 cm in diameter, spherical, purplish-red, turning inky-black at maturity, smooth, leathery, inedible, with 1–5 seeds inside. Ripen in January–February.

Subspecies:

• H. h. helix
• H. h. poetarum Nyman (syn. Hedera chrysocarpa Walsh)
• H. h. rhizomatifera McAllister

Cultivars: 'Angularis aurea','Caecilia', 'Glacier', 'Congesta', 'Duckfoot', 'Goldchild', 'Manda's Crested', 'Midas Touch', 'Parsley Crested', 'Spetchley'.

Zone: 6a

Location: shade-tolerant, drought-resistant, grows well on fertile soils but tolerates poor soils. Resistant to smoke and gases.

Planting: Seedlings are planted in May, at a distance of at least 50 cm from each other.

Care: It is not recommended to allow the soil under the plant to dry out. It is also recommended to apply feedings 2–3 times during the growing season (twice at the beginning of the growing season, in May with an interval of 10–12 days, and once in August).

Pruning: Tolerates pruning well. It is recommended to trim young long shoots to stimulate the appearance of lateral shoots.

Diseases: Practically unaffected.

Pests: Common spider mite, Red spider mite, Mealybug, Scale insects and false scales, Aphids.

Propagation: Propagates well vegetatively – by shoots, layering, and cuttings. Cuttings: performed with green or semi-ripe or woody shoots in spring, summer and autumn, which are planted vertically or at an angle in pots and boxes (spring cuttings can be planted directly in the open ground). For rooting in protected conditions a soil mixture of sand and leaf mold is used. For layering propagation – long lower shoots are pinned to the ground with staples or simply stones. When the shoot roots, it is carefully separated from the parent plant and transplanted to a new place. Propagation by shoots: this method is usually used to obtain a large number of seedlings. A shoot with on average 10 leaves is pressed and horizontally buried in sand so that the leaves remain on the surface. After 10–12 days, where the aerial root buds are located, underground roots will appear on the shoot. After that the shoot is pulled out of the sand and cut into cuttings so that each piece has a leaf and roots. This allows a large amount of planting material to be obtained in a short time.

Use: A highly decorative and undemanding evergreen plant, decorative for its evergreen foliage. Widely used for vertical greening of walls, fences, and unsightly parts of the garden. A good honey plant.

Use: A highly decorative and undemanding evergreen plant, decorative for its evergreen foliage. Widely used for vertical greening of walls, fences, and unsightly parts of the garden. A good honey plant. Can be grown as a houseplant.