x Fatshedera lizei - Tree ivy

x Fatshedera lizei, the tree ivy, is an amazing hybrid plant that combines the shrubby habit of Japanese Aralia with the flexibility of common ivy. It adapts just as well to shady corners of the garden as to bright interiors or sheltered balconies. Its large, glossy evergreen foliage remains attractive all year round. In the ground or in a pot, trained or left free, it offers dense, decorative vegetation. This undemanding and hardy plant only dislikes excess stagnant moisture and dry winds.

× Fatshedera lizei is an intergeneric hybrid obtained at the beginning of the 20th century by the Lizé Frères nurseries in Nantes. A member of the Araliaceae family, its female parent is Fatsia japonica ‘Moserii’, and its male parent is Hedera helix.
This perennial plant has a semi-climbing shrubby habit. Left free, it reaches an average of 1.20m in all directions. When guided up a vertical support, it can climb up to 3m. Its decorative foliage is formed of large, glossy, thick, dark green leaves, deeply lobed (usually with 5 lobes), measuring up to 25 cm across. Growth is moderate to fast depending on growing conditions, and the plant readily produces offshoots from its base. In late autumn or early winter, it may produce discreet globose, creamy to greenish umbels, often sterile. Fruits are very rarely formed. 
Hardy down to –15 °C, Fatshedera lizei can regrow from its base after a severe frost. Its root system is fibrous, shallow and non-invasive. Its stems are not equipped with climbing roots, so it does not attach itself to its support. This variety is easily propagated by semi-woody cuttings.

This tree ivy finds a place in shady spots in the garden. In a border, it can decorate the base of deciduous shrubs alongside other cool shade-loving plants such as hostas, ferns, heucheras and lungworts. Trained against a wall, it covers a shady façade or a fence in a small town garden. In a pot, on a terrace or patio, it offers an architectural presence, which can be associated with dwarf bamboos, sedges or dwarf Japanese maples. Growing in a large pot presents no difficulty.

× Fatshedera lizei can also be grown in a conservatory or in a bright room that is little heated in winter.