Ivy and its allies
Words: Julie Hollobone
Relatives of ivy provide interesting and often architectural foliage. Many of these plants are suitable for gardens; some plants produce flowers that are particularly beneficial to insects. Here are three plants to consider:
Aralia elata
The Japanese angelica tree is distinctive for its deciduous foliage, huge leaves up to 1.2m (4ft) long, subdivided into as many as 60 leaflets. It grows to a small tree up to 8m (25ft) in height, with panicles of tiny white flowers appearing in late summer at shoot tips, followed by black fruits that form as the leaves take on yellow and orange tints in autumn. Plant it in part shade, on any soil type but sheltered from winds that may damage the large architectural leaves.
x Fatshedera lizei
A useful evergreen growing to 2m (7ft) for a small shady space, this hybrid of Fatsia japonica and common ivy (Hedera helix) has tough, glossy green leaves usually with five lobes. Due to the ivy parentage, it has rather a rangy habit but these can be tied to supports to make an attractive wall shrub. Alternatively, pinch out the growing shoots regularly. Severe frosts can blacken shoot tips so plant in a sheltered site and protect young plants with fleece over winter.
Hedera
'Gloire de Marengo'
Ivy has two growth forms, the juvenile stage when pliable stems search for support to climb up to the light, and the arborescent stage when stems become woodier, leaves alter in shape and flowers are produced. Propagated from the mature plants they will keep the habit and mature into bushy non-climbing evergreens. This cultivar has large white-edged variegated leaves on red stems and a bushy habit, growing to 2m (7ft). It thrives in most soils and sites, favouring some sun.