At this festive season it seems fitting to turn our attention to hollies and ivies, and there have been new introductions of both in the last year.
Ivies do not always generate the enthusiasm which their qualities should inspire: they're easy to grow (perhaps that's part of the problem), they enjoy shade, they cling to walls and fences without help and they come in vast variety of leaf shapes and colours and patters.
Fibrex Nurseries in Worcestershire have long championed ivies and in the last year they've made eighteen new introductions. The two which especially appeal to me are ‘White Ripple' and ‘Golden Jytte'. ‘White Ripple' features elegant, sharply pointed, rather maple-like leaves with a grey-green and cream variegation, while ‘Golden Jytte' features a boldly yellow-splashed leaf. Both are ideal on dark fences at the back of shady borders bringing character and brightness to a dingy area.
As to hollies, there's a vast variety of species and cultivars grown around the world but here in Britain we mostly see forms of the native Ilex aquifolium and its hybrid I. x alterclerensis. But now we're seeing an increasing number of other forms, many available from Plantsman's Corner, including ‘Brilliant' and I. verticillata ‘Winter Gold'.
‘Brilliant' has been gown in North America for many decades but has not been seen here. A hybrid between our native holly and the Asian evergreen I. ciliospinosa, ‘Brilliant' carries a heavy crop of bright red berries - without the need of another holly for pollination.
‘Winter Gold' is a sport of 'Winter Red', and there‘s a great picture of the original plant showing both the red berries of 'Winter Red' and the orange-yellow berries of ‘Winter Gold' on the same plant in the superb book on hollies by Christopher Bailes, curator of the RHS garden at Rosemoor. ‘Winter Gold' is prolific, the berries have a noticeable pink cast (not really gold, I have to say) and the birds seem to leave them alone until last of all. The berries show up so well against the deciduous branches.
So even amongst the familiar, and sometimes unappreciated, ranks of hollies and ivies there are some good newcomers to be found.
Hedera helix ‘White Ripple' and ‘Golden Jytte' are available from Fibrex Nurseries.
Ilex ‘Brilliant' and I. verticillata ‘Winter Sun' are available from Plantsman's Corner.
Hollies by Christopher Bailes is available here.