Does Ivy Lose Its Leaves Every Year?

English Ivy

• One of English ivy’s selling points is its evergreen nature, lending winter interest to gardens during colder winter months. It is native to Europe, Scandinavia and Russia, where cold winter weather helped it adapt to moist, cool environments. Winter hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9, it prefers medium moisture, well-drained soil in partial to full shade, though it will also grow in sun. Although it retains its leaves throughout the year and can be an attractive specimen, English ivy is also invasive, so plant it only in areas you can control its growth.

Other Hedera Species

• English ivy has several close cousins and dozens of cultivars, all of them evergreen. Their leaf colors depend on variety. Algerian ivy (Hedera canariensis or Hedera algeriensis), also known as Canary Islands ivy, is a variegated species with creamy edges to its green leaves. It is winter hardy in USDA zones 7b to 8. Bullock’s heart ivy (Hedera colchica “Dentata Variegata”) is winter hardy to USDA zones 6 through 9, and has heart-shaped evergreen leaves rather than the classic lobed leaves of English ivy.

Boston Ivy

• Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata, formerly Ampelopsis tricuspidata) is a common adornment for walls, trellises and the sides of buildings. It grows both as a groundcover and as a climber, and needs no support to reach heights of 30 to 50 feet. It is the exception that proves the rule that ivy is usually evergreen: Boston ivy is a deciduous vine that loses its leaves in wintertime, after spectacular fall colors of purple and red. Native to China and Japan, it is winter hardy to USDA zones 4 through 8.

Swedish Ivy

• Swedish ivy (Plectranthus australis), like Boston ivy, is not closely related to classic English ivy. In fact, Swedish ivy isn’t even a climber like the rest of the ivies, but rather is a groundcover that grows on 3-foot trailing stalks. Native to South Africa, Swedish ivy is winter hardy in USDA zones 10 through 11. Its 1½-inch-long leaves are heart-shaped, light green and toothed along the margins.