Other Names:  Atlantic Ivy

Description:

Useful and vigorous ground cover ivy with dark green leaves that are slightly folded upward; ivasive in milder climates because birds spread seeds; must be maintained to avoid spreading

Ornamental Features

Irish Ivy features dainty panicles of white flowers along the branches in early summer. It has dark green evergreen foliage which emerges light green in spring. The glossy lobed leaves remain dark green throughout the winter. It produces navy blue berries in late summer.

Landscape Attributes

Irish Ivy is a multi-stemmed evergreen woody vine with a twining and trailing habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a high maintenance woody vine that will require regular care and upkeep, and can be pruned at anytime. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Spreading
• Invasive

Irish Ivy is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Irish Ivy will grow to be about 10 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 inches. As a climbing vine, it tends to be leggy near the base and should be underplanted with low-growing facer plants. It should be planted near a fence, trellis or other landscape structure where it can be trained to grow upwards on it, or allowed to trail off a retaining wall or slope. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years.

This woody vine performs well in both full sun and full shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets.

Irish Ivy makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.