English Ivy - Yellow Ripple

DESCRIPTION: A vigorous evergreen climber or dense groundcover; beautiful deep green foliage with yellow and gray variegation will quickly cover walls, trees and fences; one of the hardiest varieties, will benefit from some protection from sun and wind in winter

BOTANICAL NAME: Hedera helix 'Yellow Ripple'
AVERAGE MATURE HEIGHT: 9 Meters
AVERAGE MATURE SPREAD: 1 Meter
SUN EXPOSURE: Full sun to full shade
FLOWER COLOUR: Insignificant
FLOWERING TIME: N/A
FOLIAGE COLOUR: Variegated yellow and green
COLD HARDINESS: Annual
WATER NEEDS: Average
OTHER FEATURES: Attractive Foliage

Ornamental Features

Yellow Ripple Ivy has yellow-variegated dark green foliage with hints of grayish green. The glossy lobed leaves remain dark green throughout the winter. The flowers are not ornamentally significant.

Landscape Attributes

Yellow Ripple 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 woody vine will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and can be pruned at anytime. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration:

• Spreading

Yellow Ripple Ivy is recommended for the following landscape applications:

• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Yellow Ripple Ivy will grow to be about 30 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. 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, slope, or hanging basket. It grows at a fast rate.

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. Parts of the plant are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets.

Yellow Ripple 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. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception.