Description
Ornamental ivy - Hedera helix ‘Plattensee’
In a nutshell
Ornamental ivy, Hedera helix ‘Plattensee’, is an ivy collected in the wild and entrusted to the famous collector Ingobert Heieck at the Neubourg monastery in Germany.
The leaves are dark green, with 3 shallow or cordate lobes. The veins are beautifully veined with silver, creating an attractive contrast.
A beautiful natural ivy for ground cover, it is also an excellent climber.
History
Brother Ingobert Heieck received this «wild» ivy from K.H. Jurgl, owner of the nursery of the same name in Cologne, Germany. He had collected the ivy while on holiday in Hungary at Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe. Ingobert Heieck named it ‘Plattensee’, the German word for Lake Balaton.
Detailed sheet - Hedera helix 'Plattensee'
Botanical information
- Family: Araliaceae
- Genre : Hedera
- Species : helix
- Cultivar: ‘Plattensee’
- Pierot classification: heart-shaped ivy
- Foliage stage: juvenile
- Origin of the species: Europe, from Spain to Norway, but little on the Atlantic coast.
- Origin of cultivar: «wild» ivy sent by nurseryman K.H. Jurgl to Ingobert Heieck, who gave it the name ‘Plattensee’.
Description of Hedera helix ‘Plattensee’
- Growth habit: stiff, erect
- Number of lobes: 3 shallow or cordiform lobes
- Leaf length: 6 to 7 cm
- Leaf width: 5 to 6 cm
- Colour of leaf: dark green
- Colour of veins: silver or grey
- Base of leaf: cordate
- Leaf apex: acute
- Colour of stem and petiole: greenish brown
- Length of petiole: 2 to 4 cm
- Branches: few branches
- Mattress thickness: not very thick
- Knot spacing: 5 cm
- Hairs: stellate, 3 to 5 branches
Planting, cultivation and care instructions for Hedera helix ‘Plattensee’
- Exposure: part shade
- Hardiness: -15°C
- Soil moisture: cool soil
- Soil PH: neutral or chalky
- Soil type: all
- Soil richness: ordinary or humus-bearing
- Use: ground cover, climber
- Development: vigorous
- Growth rate: rapid
- Pruning: once a year
- Pests: rare (e.g. otiorhynchs)
- Diseases: rare (e.g. leaf spots)
Ivy in literature
“The rays of the morning sun ... entered with the warm breeze through a small open window framed by ivy, as if to flood it with light, gaiety and perfume.”






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