Plant of the Month January 2017

Hedera colchica ‘Paddy's Pride' AGM (syn ‘Sulphur Heart')

January is a strange month to contend with in the garden. Extremes of weather, from the sublime to the ridiculous, can rattle through in the space of a week, leaving the humble plot-tender bewildered. Already this year in Herefordshire, we've had temperatures of minus 7 through to plus 10, mild grey wet days and brilliant blue skies with sunshine and hoar frost, bitter winds and still days, and the plants don't know whether they're coming or going. So this time, I'm going to plump for an old favourite, guaranteed to do the business whatever the weather.

Bob Brown has always held that in Britain, we greatly under-estimate ivy. What other plant is a self-supporting climber or ground coverer, with year-round evergreen foliage, a variety of leaf forms, sizes, shapes, variegations and colours, has interesting flowers that attract insects, the ability to thrive in dry shade, picks well and will survive arctic temperatures without a mark upon it? Its very familiarity makes us blind to its sovereign qualities. Hedera colchica ‘Paddy's Pride is a Persian ivy and is hardy in all but the most vicious of winters – minus 22 in 1982 did give it pause for thought, but it hasn't looked back since.

Although I acquired mine as ‘Paddy's Pride', its alternate name of ‘Sulphur Heart' does it better justice. For me, the charm lies in the shadowy green-gold of its variegation, similar only to the subtle colouring of Vinca major ‘maculata'. This variegation shows up best on young leaves, so the challenge lies in removing enough older foliage to stimulate new growth, without leaving bald patches. Young leaves also have a flatter and more pleasing profile, older ones tending to fold back upon themselves, so regular pruning is good idea.

One excellent use of ivy is to soften hard or unsightly edges. This can be vertically up a wall, but is even better over a structure, as shoots can then grow horizontally, stimulating flower growth. One of the pleasures of a mild January day is to walk past our stone well head, almost invisible but for the flowering trails of Hedera ‘Paddy's Pride', humming with bees. The flowers are particularly welcome, a bee-keeping friend tells me, as they supply both nectar and pollen at a sparse time of year, and the nectar is of a high quality.

The RHS recommends propagation by semi-hardwood cuttings in summer, but I would suggest looking in the general vicinity for rooted layers, where all the work has been done for you.

One exciting use of ivy I saw recently was where a narrow boundary was needed. A chain link fence had been erected, planted on each side with different ivy varieties, including H. ‘Paddy's Pride'. The ivies had romped away, forming an evergreen barrier around 8” wide, which can be clipped to keep it slim. Companions along its base included excellent winter carex (golden ‘Everillo' and cream striped ‘Ice Dance'); white veined Arum italicum ‘Marmoratum'; glossy sarcocca confusa; silver-leaved forms of cyclamen coum; double cream hellebores and pink shaded Vinca difformis ‘Jenny Pym' (this last may need a sheltered corner). All in all, a charming display on a cold January day.

Posted by Gill Mullin