Holiday - Southern Living Tree Ivy

Why Tree Ivy is a Great Holiday Plant

Is it a tree? Is it an ivy? You will be asking yourself that when you see the fascinating Tree Ivy. So will your family and friends when you give them this versatile bush as a fascinating holiday season gift. Part shrub and part vine, it’s big, ivy-like leaves are sure to please, and even though it can’t make up its mind to climb (or not), this is a fabulous plant for shady spots in the garden, or as a houseplant in cool, dark rooms. Holidays are a time to relax, and this plant is good at relaxing along with you. Forgot to water? – no problem. Didn’t give it any food? – don’t matter to me. For the busy friend who wants green without work, the Tree Ivy is exactly that. For people who like cool facts, the rare hybrid nature of this plant is a real conversation piece too

What is Tree Ivy Like?

Tree Ivy is a bushy upright plant with slender stems that grows perhaps 4 feet tall without support, and over 12 feet tall if tied to a trellis, fence or tree. The leaves are like giant ivy leaves, divided into five broad lobes at the end of a long stalk. They are up to 10 inches across, with a rich green color and a smooth, glossy surface. This plant looks robust and tough, and it is. Older plants may produce clusters of greenish-yellow flowers, usually in fall or early winter, followed by black seed pods. The seeds will not normally develop or sprout. This cool-looking plant is great in a shady spot in the garden, sprawling along the ground or tied up on a fence or tree.

Called x Fatshedera lizei, Tree Ivy is a rare hybrid between two genera of plants (almost all plant hybrids are between two species in the same genus). That’s what the ‘x’ in front of the name tells us. It was created in the Lizé Frères tree nursery, Nantes, France, in 1912. They took pollen from common ivy (Hedera helix) and pollinated flowers of Japanese fatsia, (Fatsia japonica ‘Moserii’). Tree Ivy was the result.

How do You Grow Tree Ivy?

Tree Ivy is hardy from zone 7 outdoors, and in zone 6 with some leaf loss over winter. Perfect anywhere, it will take sun, partial shade or full shade, and it’s a great way to bring green to a dark corner. To get you started we have attached it to three strong stakes, but you can let it tumble or continue to tie it up. Unlike ivy it won’t climb without being tied in. It grows in most types of soil, and benefits from some water in summer when the weather is hot and windy. In the house it will grow in darker rooms, but prefers bright, indirect light. All indoor temperatures are tolerated well, and because it grows in colder conditions it’s the perfect choice for unheated spaces.

Buying Tree Ivy from the Tree Center

What a cool plant the Tree Ivy is – and yes, is it ivy or is it a tree? Either way it’s a great choice for an indoor or outdoor gardener, and a plant that will only satisfy, not die. Fix your holiday giving now, by ordering right away – great choice!