Ivy
Ivy
Shrub
An evergreen climber that scales trees and walls with tiny clinging roots — flowering in autumn to feed the last insects of the year, and fruiting in deep winter for the birds.
💡 Fun Facts
- Ivy is a climber — it scrambles up trees and walls using thousands of tiny clinging roots along its stems.
- It flowers in autumn, when almost nothing else does, making it one of the very last meals of the year for bees and wasps.
- Its black berries ripen in the middle of winter, feeding hungry birds when food is hardest to find.
📅 Through the Year
- Flowering:September to November
- Fruiting:November to February
Name Story
Hedera helix
means “the spiralling ivy”
What does its name mean?
- Hedera — ivyLatin — the old Roman name for ivy
- helix — a spiral, twist or coilGreek helix
Helix means 'a spiral' or 'coil', for the way ivy's wandering, curling stems clothe walls and tree trunks. Unlike some climbers, ivy doesn't twist itself round a support — it clings on tight with tiny sticky roots all along its stems.