How to grow an ivy plant and weave it into a Christmas wreath

Ivy on the front of James Mackie's cottage

James McDonald

Tough, evergreen, and long-lived, ivy is a great garden climber that should be more valued. It is easy to grow, tolerant of many sites, and one of the best plants for wildlife. In autumn, it roars with the sound of bees and flutters with butterflies feeding on the flowers, and, all year, it is alive with birds flitting in and out of its lush emerald curtain of leaves.

There are 19 species, whose native range spreads across most of Europe and the Mediterranean to temperate Asia. Hedera helix was a hugely symbolic plant in the old world: the ultimate indestructible evergreen, it represented steadfastness and immortality. In ancient Greece, it was clutched in bridal bouquets to conjure endless love and fidelity, and – forming the crown of Dionysus, the God of Revelry – it was the plant of giddy, sloshed merriment. In Britain, ivy was grown against the house to ward off evil and guard the home; cut ivy was never brought indoors until Christmas Eve and always taken out by Twelfth Night. Today, some Brits still hold the superstition that ivy should never be brought inside except at Christmas. However, many modern-day pagans believe that ivy in the home brings security and health and several hybrids are widely sold as houseplants.

Outside, this easy evergreen is one of the most useful plants in the garden. It can be employed as ground cover, but it's at its best as a climber because this is when it flowers most abundantly. Bee expert Dave Goulson rates Hedera helix as one of the top plants for wildlife: 'Ivy is not popular with most gardeners and wouldn't be high on many people's list of flowers for pollinators, but it should be,' he urges. 'The small, greenish-yellow clusters of flowers that appear in September are inconspicuous, but they attract all manner of insects, including butterflies such as the peacock and red admiral, stocking up on sugar for hibernation, and also honey bees, bumblebees, solitary bees, hoverflies, wasps, and beetles. It even has its own specialist solitary bee, the aptly named ivy bee (Colletes hederae), which was first recorded in the UK in 2001, but has now become common in the south.'

Hedera helix has two distinct life phases. When juvenile, its leaves are what most people would think of as ivy: pointy with 3 or 5 lobes and a dark, witchy shade of green. But, after several years, the plant enters its adult phase: in maturity, it produces much larger, glossy diamond-shaped leaves, which are bright green and topped with the globular scented autumn flowerheads that pollinators love. The blooms are followed by spheres of black winter berries that can be used in Christmas wreaths or left for the birds to eat; mature ivy is also much shrubbier and denser in habit, so it provides fabulous evergreen shelter for birds. Some of the best singers in the garden – robins, blackbirds, and wrens – love to nest in this highly underrated plant.

The traditional red and green Christmas scheme goes Scandi in the heavenly holiday home of designer Marie-Louise Sjögren on the Stockholm archipelago. Evergreen wreaths and arrangements are enlivened by the bright crimson candelabra from Svensk Hemslöjd and glamorous amaryllis flowers.

Paul Massey

Christmas wreath making: take inspiration from this beautiful wreath created by Philippa Craddock.

Line T Klein

If you like an easy life, ivy is the best plant for fashioning a festive wreath. Just 3 or 4 long lengths of it will provide a glossy green base layer. After packing your frame generously with moss, plunge a length of ivy into it, then secure with florist’s wire. Gradually bind the length of ivy around the wreath, wiggling the wire through the leaves to hide it as you go. Next, plunge sprigs of other foliage (such as pine and eucalyptus) into the moss for contrast; finally, add decor, such as pine cones, berry-laden holly, and ribbon.

Often referred to as English ivy, although it's native to most of Europe, this is a plant that everyone is familiar with. As detailed above, it has a juvenile phase, followed by its adult form. Once mature, the species is so attractive that it's arguably better than any cultivar. This maturity can take 5 to 10 years, but it's worth the wait; the less you prune it, the faster it will mature; being in sun or semi-shade will also speed up the onset of flowering. There are several variegated and two-tone forms, which can brighten a shady corner, including 'Glacier' (cream and green) and 'Ora di Bogliasco' (gold and dark-green); however, these colourful varieties rarely flower in maturity, if at all.

An enthusiastic ivy with 5-lobed leaves that can reach 12 centimetres, and, eventually, produces flowers and berries. It is native to Great Britain (especially the west), Ireland, and other parts of Europe and looks very similar to common ivy, but has darker green veining and less elongated lobes. Crûg Farm sells a 7-lobed yellow form.

A misnomer, since it doesn't come from Iran, so-called Persian ivy (which is native to Turkey and the Caucasus) can produce huge leaves, up to 25 centimetres, which often have a droopy, folded look, as well as autumn flowers. Green and gold 'Sulphur Heart' (Paddy's pride) is a good variety. There is an ivy from Iran: Hedera pastuchovii, which is also native to Iraq and the Caucasus, where plantsman Roy Lancaster collected the superb form H. pastuchovii 'Ann Ala' in 1972. Ann is a mass of dark-green leaves that are long and spear-shaped when young and wider with age; and, allegedly, she flowers.

Algerian ivy (Hedera algeriensis)

Kayco

A fast-growing ivy with very large leaves, up to 20 centimetres, that requires shelter from cold winds. 'Gloire de Marengo' (grey green and cream) is a good form. In milder parts of the UK, Algerian ivy is fast growing and flowers in autumn.

There are two types of shrubby ivy, known as tree ivy. The first, x Fatshedera lizei, is a cross between Fatsia japonica and Hedera hibernica. It is a 2-metre evergreen shrub with palmate leaves and globular autumn flowerheads. Contrary to its selling point, it can be trained to climb, in which case, may grow larger. The other tree ivies are the non-climbing forms of Persian ivy and common ivy, including H. helix 'Arborescens'. This shrub can’t match the size of the species, never growing more than around 1 metre, but quickly delivers flowers and berries (unlike the climbers, which take time to do so) and looks good in pots.

Ivy loves growing up trees and – since it is not parasitic – doesn't take water and nutrients from the tree. The Woodland Trust does not consider ivy harmful to trees or view an ivy-clad tree as unhealthy; on the contrary, it considers the plant a great benefit to woodland wildlife. However, outside its native range, ivy can be problematic. In the US, gardeners are advised not to grow Hedera helix or H. hibernica in case they spread into woodland, and they are classified as invasive in several states. In UK gardens, don't let ivy run into smaller trees, such as apples, as it will eventually dominate them.

Research by the University of Reading and the RHS found that – grown against a property – ivy helps to keep the home cool in summer and, during winter, it prevents an extreme dip in night temperatures and reduces damp. In terms of structural damage, sound masonry is unaffected, but ivy can be a pain if it is allowed to grow into cracks in stone and brickwork, into guttering, and into roof tiles; it will also damage the paintwork around windows. But kept in check via regular pruning, it is a positive addition to buildings.

Ivy covers one half of this Dartmoor house

Martin Morrell

Ivy is self-clinging and vigorous, so it is a headache-free way to clad a building or wall with greenery at speed. Dig a hole 40 to 50 centimetres from the wall and plant at an angle, aiming the ivy at the wall and providing a bamboo cane or hazel stick for it to reach it. Being self-clinging (pulling itself up via adventitious roots), no trellis is required; however, like all large self-clinging climbers, once it reaches a certain size, there is the risk of it peeling off the wall under its own weight, which is a sad sight, and, therefore, giving it at least some support (such as robust wires) is worth it.

Ivy will grow in most places and is even tolerant of dry shade. The soil must be well-drained. If you garden at the extremes of the pH scale, common ivy (Hedera helix) and Irish ivy (H. hibernica) do best at the alkaline end, while Persian ivy (H. colchica) and Algerian ivy (H. algeriensis) cope better at the acidic end. In very cold regions, H. helix is the hardiest, and all ivies benefit from shelter from strong, cold wind. Irish ivy (H. hibernica) is good for coastal gardens. On poor soil, add peat-free compost before planting.

If you don’t have much space, plant upwards. Jos and Annabel White’s six-storey town house in Manhattan's West Village has window boxes full of flowers and trailing ivy framing the patio windows.

Ngoc Minh Ngo

Ivy can be used as evergreen ground cover (and it's excellent for stabilising banks), or it can be planted as a climber. It only becomes great for wildlife when it's allowed to climb, which stimulates it to eventually produce an abundance of flowers and fruit and the density required for birds' nests. Pruning should be done in spring, unless birds are nesting in it, in which case wait until the end of summer. Variegated forms sometimes revert to green, in which case snip the green sections off.

In its preferred conditions, ivy can grow at speed. Be warned that too much pruning will slow (and even prevent) the shrubbier adult phase of Hedera helix, in which the leaves are lusher and larger and the plant is a mass of nectar-rich flowers in autumn, so it's best planted where it can be left to expand.

Yes. In August or September, take a 10 to 15-centimetre section of stem, cutting just below a leaf. Remove the lowest leaves, ensuring there are 2 to 4 remaining above. Plunge into potting compost and place in a greenhouse or propagator, or cover with a plastic bag and sit in bright, indirect light.

When yanked off, ivy can leave marks and pull off pieces of stone, brick, or bark. If you want to remove stems attached to buildings or trees, it's best to cut them and then wait for those sections to die before pulling them off, as this requires less arm muscle and causes less damage and marking.

The bathroom, set off the studio in artist Haidee Becker's house, is lined with art, as well as plants. The hanging paper mobile was created for Haidee by her daughter, Rachel.

Mark Anthony Fox

Light: Place in low to bright indirect light. Common ivy (Hedera helix) is one of the best houseplants for low light levels and unheated rooms.

Pots: Ivies can be grown from hanging containers or around a moss or coir pole in a pot.

Water: Keep the compost moist, but never waterlogged; water less often during winter.

Pruning: Clip with sharp scissors, as required. This will help to keep the plant bushy.

Position: Don't let it cling to walls, as the adventitious roots will pull off the paintwork if you remove them.

There are umpteen forms of common ivy (Hedera helix) and those with interesting leaf shapes are arguably better grown indoors, where they can be appreciated. The variegated varieties (such as 'White Wonder') light up dark rooms. Size-wise, ‘Pittsburgh', 'Très Coupé', and 'Shamrock' (all green) remain relatively compact, making them good houseplants. The Ripples (such as ‘Green Ripple’) are larger but slow-growing. There are also compact non-climbing forms of H. helix that make interesting houseplants, including 'Triton', which has large, pointy leaves like Poseidon's trident.

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