Are you sure you're after ivy and not virginia creeper, which turns red in the autumn?

No, I want red ivy, because I want it to keep it's leaves all winter.

The only red on I can find is one I found in the wild and took a cutting. It has red leaves with yellow veins. However I have to check it through every few months and remove any rogue green shoots. I am looking for a proper one (i.e. commercially bred one) as I am hoping that would not produce any rogue green shoots, so would be less hassle. Also I imagine official strains may be even brighter as mine is burgandy red.

I can't find any red ivys on sale anywhere, so imagine I must be the only person who wants one.

fibrex near eversham is the national collection holder but i dont remember ever seeing a red cultivar you might have a one off there

Hedera Helix 'Glymii' has red-purple leaves with lighter-looking veins. New spring growth will be green as it takes on the reddish colouring in winter, according to the RHS encyclopaedia. Also 'Atropurpurea' may be worth a look.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hedera Helix Glymii

That's anice one - I will look into whether anyone is selling it.

It is quite different from mine. New shoots on mine are green or yellow with traces of burgandy, but darken with age to burgandyish.

Just been out in the dark and grabbed a handful of my ivy to show you.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Gorgeous.

Looks like english ivy to me, other than the color (is english ivy called that in england?).

I've seen a lot of ivy cultivars, and many of them do turn reddish in the colder months. However, they always seem to revert to green when the weather warms up. Sometimes the older leaves turn red before dying off. Your plant sounds like a bit of find; is the new growth red also?

Mine grows with new yellowish green leaves tinged with red edges. As the leaf ages the red gradually moves inwards and by 8 to 10 weeks, leaves are mainly red with distinct yellow veins. The very old leaves darken still more to almost black before dying off.

I sometimes visit the RHS London shows and check out the ivy display by Fibrex Nurseries, hoping to see an ivy with red/purple-tinged foliage. No such luck. You've done well!

Why don't you contact Fibrex or the RHS and see if they are able to advise you on whether your plant has commercial potential?

I don't think it would interest them because one in every 6 or so branches throws back to green and green shoots grow faster than red ones, so I have to prune green shoots out every month to keep it spectacular red looking.

Well, a lot of plants with interesting foliage (such as variegated Euonymus) will revert and send out all-green shoots which take over if not pruned out. A once-monthly pruning doesn't sound like a huge chore (although when added to the hundreds of other garden jobs, I suppose it might well get overlooked).

Hi there,
I've been looking around and I can't find any mention really of any type of ivy the colour that you're looking for. It seems that you might have found yourself a new cultivar? Have you taken a piece of it to a local nursery or garden centre to see what they have to say? Maybe they could help you? If not you might just have to keep pinching all the green stems off. Oh well. But I guess it's better than not having it at all. Good luck finding more about it. I was wondering if I could have a cutting of it though?
Thanks, Rob

Do you mean the Boston Ivy?

They have one at Crocus.co.uk - its latin name is Parthenocissus tricuspidata Veitchii. I wanted one of these because it grows in shade. It's very beautiful from the pictures.

Regards,

Nicola

This question was cleared up right at the top of the post, Nicola. The ivy in question is a real ivy - Hedera helix. Boston 'ivy' is a misnomer. It will grow massive and could cover your entire house if you let it. If you really want one read up on it and get it from an ordinary garden centre or nursery. Crocus rely on very beguiling pretty pictures and very high prices.

Try Parthenocissus henryana. Much more attractive than P tricuspidata, in my opinion. The leave have pale veining and purple backs, and it has good autumn colour. It grows extremely well in even dense shade.

Hi Ornata,

I have got that taking over my house wall already

See the 7th photo down on the link below:-

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to part of my garden

Rubble - I think that suggestion was directed to firsttimer. And as for your creeper ha! That's a baby! :) I have it all up the back of my house from basement area to the roof - four floors. It has to be trimmed at least twice every summer and appears to be growing out of neat concrete. But if you want the jungle look it's great.

I keep mine to about 7ft It grows so quickly and if it gets out of reach it only takes a few weeks before it starts climbing in through my bathroom window - literally!

Does hedera helix not grow huge in britain? Now I'm more confused. Here what I believe is helix (or possibly hiburnicus) has indeed covered my house, including growing onto the roof and has invaded the basement. It grows in shade and sun. If it were edible I wouldn't have to buy food.

Hedera helix does indeed grow huge in the UK. But we shifted to discussing other types of climber also known by the common name of "ivy", in this case Parthenocissus.

And yes, Rubbleshop, perhaps I should have thought before recommending P. henryana so fulsomely to Nicola! Mine is still a baby; I'm just happy that such an attractive climber will grow in shade. I'm sure I'll be cursing it in a few years' time.

Rubbleshop, you might want to check out this site to see if you can find a match.. Your plant is beautiful and should certainly be preserved and propagated for Ivy enthusiasts like me! Good luck. josh

Here is a link that might be useful: Hedera databank

I too have a red ivy. The original plant is growing wild in a hedgerow near to where I live in Normandy (similar climate to Devon). All the ivies in the same hedge have leaves that are various shades of red and purple, - some really worth cultivating. The leaves on the flowering branches always seem to be paler than those lower down and sunshine (or lack of it) seems to have a bearing on the intensity of colour.
I have put some pictures of both red and purple varieties on a web page here:

Here is a link that might be useful: Nature notes

Your ivy looks similar, though not the same because the viens in yours are darker than the leaf and in mine the veins are yellow mostly. It is interesting that you have a similar strain in Normandy though. Perhaps it is just the climate which causes it to go like this? How cold does it get in Normany? I am wonderig if it happens when ivy's do not get exposed to frosts ever? Devon rarely gets frosts.

We get a couple of weeks each winter when the wind comes from the east and temperature drops to -10C or so. Otherwise I think rainfall and temperatures are similar. In the same hedgerow, there are perfectly normal dark green ivy plants but there are a significant number of red and purple ones. The hedges are pretty old so there has been time for the individual plants to cross breed
I think that for the most part the veins are light like yours, varying between green and yellow. All these varieties are very pretty and I am going to try to build up a collection of them. One of the things I shall experiment with is the amount of direct sunshine. I have the impression that this can affect the intensity of colour in the leaves.

Here is a link that might be useful: Nature notes

I think we are talking about variations in colouring of Hedera helix ÂAtropurpurea and/or Hedera Helix 'Glymii'

Here is a link that might be useful: Nature notes

@ Rubbleshop

It's
already a long time ago
you started this
discussion. I was looking on the internet searching for a red hedera. I am from
Holland and I'm interested in the variety you cut in the wild. Do you still
have it and can you send a photograph of the red ivy? I'm curios how it's
looking

Regards,

Jaap Hop

Maybe you can reach them through the link they posted above (I haven't looked at it myself).

Thanks but the link is not working