Ivy - Hardy plant

Ivy grows in all sorts of soil but a very wet underground will not keep it happy. Plant it in the sun for best results. This particular variety makes great hedging (3 plants per metre) and it will easily grow through fencing too. As ground cover, ivy is great!

Improve poor soil conditions with an added mix of well rotted manure or potting compost - maybe some sharp sand if it's a very wet soil. Give it a spot where it can climb with no interruption - it will otherwise creep across the ground.

Ensure a well drenched root ball before planting - stand the plant in a bucket of water for a while. Dig a wide hole and loosen the soil with a fork. Plant the ivy at the correct depth - the top of the root ball should be just below ground level. Fill the hole and press firmly down. Water immediately. Ivy in pots Ivy will also thrive in a planter. Here too, a well draining potting compost in a pot with holes in the base is essential. Do give it a climbing frame too as it will otherwise just creep.

If you do not tie new shoots in, they too will soon cover the ground, looking for a place to climb.

This variegated ivy (Hedera algeriensis 'Gloire de Marengo') takes easily and requires little or no maintenance. The leaves look their best with regular watering but this plant can withstand a lot of drought too.

Pruning variegated ivy
When you have the room, there is no need to prune. If grown as hedging, you will need to cut back extra shoots and branches twice yearly. If you do this in April and July you will avoid cutting off the flower heads that develop in the autumn but it can be pruned any time of year. Variegated ivy in the winter This is an evergreen hardy perennial. Leaf drop will only really occur in the most severe winters and new ivy leaves will grow again in the spring.

Those ivy plants in pots are slightly less hardy so are better stored in a frost-free shed (2-5 degrees centigrade), preferably one with light coming in the window as the plant will lose its leaves in the dark.

Ivy flowers in late autumn, or even in the winter. The greenish white flowers form in minimal looking bunches but the nectar is very important for the insects still flying around at that time of the year.

Lovely blue-ish frosted looking berries form in clusters and the birds love them - so ivy is a must for the bird fancier. Ivy also makes a great place for birds to nest in and shelter in too.

There are two types of ivy leaf. The triangular ones grow on young shoots. Once the plant is established and mature, the leaf is more diamond shaped. Pruning rejuvenates ivy so new triangular ones form.

Hedera algeriensis 'Gloire de Marengo' grows shiny green leaves with white and green markings.

Hedera is part of the ivy family (Araliaceae).