Common Name: bush ivy
Type: Broadleaf evergreen
Family: Araliaceae
Zone: 7 to 10
Height: 3.00 to 5.00 feet
Spread: 3.00 to 5.00 feet
Bloom Time: October to November
Bloom Description: Creamy white
Sun: Part shade to full shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Ground Cover
Flower: Insignificant
Leaf: Colorful, Evergreen
Tolerate: Heavy Shade, Air Pollution
Culture
Easily grown in evenly moist, rich, well-draining soil in part shade to full shade. Avoid hot, afternoon sun as this can burn the leaves. For best foliage size and appearance, site in dappled shade. Pinching and trimming will create bushier growth. If left unpruned this plant will form an irregular sprawling mass. Tolerant of air pollution, salt spray, and deep shade. Hardy in Zones 7-10. May suffer severe dieback from freezes below 20°F, but regrows from the roots.
Noteworthy Characteristics
× Fatshedera lizei, commonly known as bush ivy or tree ivy, is an intergeneric hybrid resulting from the cross between Fatsia japonica (glossy-leaved paper plant) and Hedera helix (English ivy). This shrubby evergreen will reach up to 3-5' tall with an irregular mounding habit and long trailing stems. Bush ivy can also be trained to climb up to 10' tall, but requires support. The leaves (between 4-10" wide) are dark green and glossy with five lobes. Terminal panicles of dense, round flower clusters appear in fall. The flowers are small, cream-colored, and not particularly showy. This is a sterile hybrid that does not bear fruit.
The specific epithet lizei honors Lizè Fréres, a French nurseryman who first hybridized and cultivated this plant in 1910.
'Annemieke' is a variegated cultivar with splashes of yellow in the center portion of the leaves. This plant is also found sold under the names 'Aureovariegata', 'Aureamaculata', and 'Lemon Lime'.
Problems
No major pest or disease problems. This hybrid lacks the damaging, adventitious roots of English ivy.
Uses
A useful shrubby ground cover for shady areas of the garden. Mixed borders, shade gardens, woodland gardens, and containers. Can be trained to climb a trellis, wall, or fence, but requires support. Can also be grown as a houseplant.