Hedera helix Frosty - Common ivy

Hedera helix 'Frosty' is a cultivar of the common ivy notable for its arrow-shaped foliage initially variegated with white, turning olive green. This compact plant is ideal as ground cover, decorative throughout the year and easy to grow in ordinary soil. It brings a lot of charm to semi-shaded areas, in the garden of course, but also on the terrace or balcony where it dresses up planters with green or flowering plants. 'Frosty' ivy is vulnerable to harsh weather conditions so requires winter protection in severe climates.

Ivies belong to the Araliaceae family, so are cousins of ginseng and fatsias. Hedera helix 'Frosty' originates from the common ivy, found everywhere in forests, countryside, and gardens and native to the entire Eurasian temperate zone of the northern hemisphere. Ivy stems climb using strong climbing roots. This plant has produced numerous cultivars of varying sizes, with diversified foliage, some capable of flowering and fruiting once mature. The foliage borne by the flowering stems, located higher on the plant, differs from the foliage borne by juvenile stems. The ivy's greenish flowering, in the form of globular inflorescences, is an excellent nectar source for bees. It is followed by dark blue berries, toxic to humans but an excellent winter food source for birds.

The 'Frosty' ivy is a rather creeping plant, still capable of climbing, slow-growing with highly branched vegetation, able to cover an area of 1.50 m². Its small evergreen leaves are divided into 5 lobes, the central lobe being much larger than the lateral lobes. They are carried by thick, greyish, star-shaped hairy branches. The stems can cling on their own to supports using climbing roots. This cultivar, which retains its juvenile character throughout its life, does not flower.

Hedera helix 'Frosty' thrives in filtered light, in morning sun, in any loose soil. Small ivies are irreplaceable for providing background a terrace or balcony, trained on a small wire structure or trailing in curtains along pots or large containers. In the garden, they form lovely ground cover to enhance other plants. Pair this common ivy 'Frosty' with easy-to-grow woodland perennials like lesser periwinkle, barrenworts, ground ivy, macrorrhizum hardy geraniums, for example.