Hedera | Ivy

Hedera

Home > Plants > Climbing Plants > Hedera

Commonly known as ivy, the hedera genus it is one of the most easily recognised of all the climbing plants – and one of the most popular too, due to its fast-growing nature and ability to form a gorgeous thick screen of foliage across unsightly walls or buildings. The ivy-covered cottage has become an icon of rural idyll, even if some gardeners are wary of the plant’s remarkable ability to dominate.Hedera is native to Europe and most of Asia, with three subspecies – Hedera helix helix, from central, northern and western Europe, Hedera helix poetarum, from southeastern Europe and southwest Asia, plus Hedera helix rhizomatifera, from south eastern Spain. There are also two very closely related species – Hedera canariensis and Hedera hibernica. Even within these five groups there is amazing variation in terms of foliage, from the golden-green leaves of Hedera helix Goldheart to the large green diamond-shaped leaves of Hedera helix Glacier.