Habitat

• native to Europe, western Asia and north Africa
• hardy to zone 5, with proper selection of cultivars
• Special Note: This species has demonstrated an invasive tendency in Connecticut, meaning it may escape from cultivation and naturalize in minimally managed areas. For more information, Click Here.

Habit and Form

• a vine climbing by aerial rootlets or a prostrate groundcover
• evergreen
• adult parts of the plant change leaf shape and grow more shrub-like, losing their vining habit
• most H. helix in landscapes are juvenile and vine-like

Summer Foliage

• leaves are dark green with white veins
• leathery evergreen foliage, alternate leaf arrangement
• juvenile leaves are 3- to 5- lobed
• adult leaves are not lobed, but more diamond shaped to rounded
• leaves are 1.5" to 4" long

Autumn Foliage

• evergreen, no fall color

Flowers

• only occur on the adult form
• greenish white flower held in a globe-shaped umbel
• not especially showy

Fruit

• a berry-like black drupe
• about 0.25" in diameter
• poisonous

Bark

• on old plants the bark is light brown, with shallow ridges and furrows
• typically only observed where the plant has grown up a tree trunk or other structure

Culture

• full sun to heavy shade
• partial shade is optimal
• best growth on moist, organic soils, but relatively soil adaptable
• soil pH not critical
• planting on the north side of a structure is a good choice
• tolerant of pruning
• prune to contain growth as necessary
• avoid windswept locations to prevent desication in the winter
• somewhat salt tolerant

Landscape Use

• for decoration
• as a groundcover
• as a wall covering
• as a climbing vine
• climbing up a large tree trunk
• for shady locations, especially the darker sides or buildings or under trees

Liabilities

• lack of sufficient cold hardiness; special attention is needed in selecting cold hardy cultivars
• deer browsing can strip foliage from a planting
• foliar burn and leaf drop following severe winters or in exposed locations
• spider mites can be a problem
• bacterial leaf spot

ID Features

• evergreen, alternate leaves
• a climbing vine with aerial rootlets
• juvenile foliage, 3-lobed; mature foliage unlobed
• veins on leaves are white

Propagation

• easily rooted from stem cuttings

Cultivars/Varieties

There are hundreds of H. helix cultivars, but only those cold hardy in USDA zone 5 are listed. Most have green leaves, as the variegated and novelty forms tend to be less hardy. The following selections should be hardy as groundcover or in protected sites, but may still be damaged some in harsh winters or in exposed locations, such as on a wall or tree trunk.

'Arborescens' - Plant is shrubby, not vining; an adult form with ovate, unlobed leaves.

'Baltica' - A hardy form with smaller leaves.

'Bulgaria' - One of the hardiest forms and also drought resistant.

'Hibernica' - A popular form with larger, more shiny leaves.

'Ogalalla' - Has proven to be very hardy at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

'Purpurea' - Leaves are purplish and turn darker or bronze in the winter.

'Rochester' - A hardy form with small to medium leaves.

'Rumania' - Similar to 'Bulgaria'.

'Treetop' - This is a hardy adult form that produces flowers and fruit.

'Thorndale' - A popular cold hardy form with large leaves. Notable for its glossy leaves with white veins.

'Wilsonii' (also listed as 'Wilson') - A hardy form with small, pointed leaves on a compact plant.