Ivy: how to grow and care for the climbing plant | House & Garden

Ivy on the front of James Mackie's cottage

Tough, evergreen, and long-lived, ivy is a great garden climber that should be more valued. It is easy to grow, tolerant of many sites, and one of the best plants for wildlife. In autumn, it roars with the sound of bees and flutters with butterflies feeding on the flowers, and, all year, it is alive with birds flitting in and out of its lush emerald curtain of leaves.

There are 19 species, whose native range spreads across most of Europe and the Mediterranean to temperate Asia. Hedera helix was a hugely symbolic plant in the old world:­ the ultimate indestructible evergreen, it meant steadfastness and immortality. In ancient Greece, it was clutched in bridal bouquets to represent endless love and fidelity, and – forming the crown of the Dionysus, God of Revelry ­– was the plant of giddy, sloshed merriment. Here, it used to be grown against the house to ward off evil and guard the home; cut ivy was never brought into the house until Christmas Eve and always taken out by Twelfth Night. Today, some Brits still hold the superstition that ivy should never be brought indoors except at Christmas. However, many modern-day pagans believe that ivy in the home brings security and health and several hybrids are widely sold as houseplants.

Outside, ivy is one of the most useful plants in the garden. It can be used as ground cover, but it's at its best as a climber because this is when it flowers most abundantly. Bee expert Dave Goulson rates Hedera helix as one of the top plants for wildlife: 'Ivy is not popular with most gardeners and wouldn't be high on many people's list of flowers for pollinators, but it should be,' he urges. 'The small, greenish-yellow clusters of flowers that appear in