Join the ivy league
Ivy is a versatile seasonal star – ideal for wreaths and decorating the table or making a feature outdoors
THE holly and the ivy – so good they wrote a Christmas carol about the pair. And yet the lyrics say little about the ivy, instead praising the holly: “of all the trees in the wood, the holly bears the crown”.
Nonetheless, ivy is firmly linked with Christmas whether it is decorating the wreath on the door, forming table centrepieces studded with gold candles, or draping elegantly from the mantelpiece.
The tradition of adorning the house with evergreen material harks back to pagan times when there was little else available in midwinter. It also symbolises the continuity of life.
Being evergreen makes it one of the most useful garden plants we have. Where nothing else will grow in the darkest, driest shades, bare walls or barren slopes, ivy will cling and climb. Its ability to scale walls without any supports such as wires or trellis is unparalleled, and the way it does this is fascinating.
The climbing stems produce hairy roots which change shape to fit the surface of the structure they are climbing. Root hairs then excrete nanoparticles which act like glue. The hairs burrow into any cavities, drying out in corkscrew spirals which further locks in the plant to the wall.
All this can make homeowners nervous that the ivy is somehow sucking the life out of the wall and weakening it. In fact, it can be quite useful in insulating buildings from extreme weather and can be kept in check with severe pruning.
The problem is when you try to remove ivy from a wall and all those hairy roots refuse to budge and bits of mortar start coming away.
Is it damaging to trees? Not really as it isn’t parasitic, it is just using the tree as a climbing frame. However, if you are planting young trees it is best to keep clear of ivy as its ground roots will compete for water and nutrients.
While it’s a brilliant ground cover, it can be invasive, so plant judiciously.
Ivy is extremely valuable for wildlife, producing flowers that are rich in nectar and berries when there is little else for birds to forage. The flowers appear in small dome- shaped clusters – like a mini version of Fatsia flowers, also belonging to the same family of plants.
The high fat content of the berries make them very nutritious and loved by thrushes, wood pigeons and blackbirds, while the flowers provide pollen for many insects including bees, butterflies and hoverflies.
There are many different cultivars available with varying leaf shapes and sizes, plus variegations in white or gold or cream. I particularly love Hedera ‘Buttercup’ for its buttery golden leaves when it is planted in the sun. ‘Goldchild’ has attractive yellow and light green variegation. ‘Green Ripple’ has elegant finely cut deep green leaves or, for something more ornamental, ‘Ivalace’ has crinkly glossy green leaves.
The small-leaved trailing varieties are a perfect foil for pots of brightly coloured cyclamens and are ideal for hanging baskets, containers and window boxes.
Variegated trailers are also a good foil for evergreens in pots such as bay, box or holly, just giving a little lift to the colour scheme.
Add a red ribbon and you’re all set for the festive season!
AUDI’S best selling performance SUV has just got even better.
And surprisingly, considering the current climate, the German luxury car maker has decided to produce the new SQ5 with a diesel engine and dispense with the petrol one.
When the car was first launched it came with diesel power and so the wheel has turned full circle, although diesel engines have definitely improved in the intervening years.
And the new car is far more efficient and far more environmentally friendly as it‘s a mild hybrid, which allows the car to coast for short periods with the engine switched off as you lift off the accelerator.
Audi claims the system allows this large all-wheel-drive car to save almost three quarters of a litre of fuel for every 62 miles driven.
But despite the appeal of saving fuel the main attraction of this car is the superb performance from its
341bhp, 3.0-litre engine.
Mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox this superb unit is one of the most torquey V6s around, with instant response to the throttle no matter what speed you are doing.
Or, as one Audi director put it: “It’s the immediacy of the power delivery as much as the sheer force of the acceleration that makes such a lasting impression in the SQ5 TDI.”
With a top speed limited to 155 miles per hour it will hit 62mph from rest in just 5.1 seconds.
And all the time there is a beautifully throaty engine and exhaust note which is cleverly enhanced when you switch to Dynamic mode, which also firms up the suspension and steering as well as sharpening up the gear changes.
Other driving modes include, Eco, Comfort and Automatic, the latter of which gives you a nice compromise with the system reacting to your driving style at any given time.
But while the SQ5 offers the sort of performance to satisfy the most demanding of drivers it’s also a sensibly frugal car, officially averaging over 34 miles to the gallon, which for a car of this size with all-wheeldrive is impressive.
Drive it gently and you can easily extend that figure to over 40mpg.
The latest model comes with a number of exterior changes including cosmetic ones to the dynamic octagonal honeycomb grille.
More importantly, the new car now comes with Matrix LED headlights as standard, ensuring you can keep your lights on full beam even when following or facing oncoming cars without any adverse affect on them.
The cabin is lavishly impressive with a quilted finish to the Nappa leather bodyhugging sports seats, which are electronically adjustable and heated and have the distinctive “S“logo embossed on them.
And even though the interior is black the heavy use of brushed aluminium has a dramatic contrasting affect.
A new 10.1-inch touchscreen makes all onboard functions simpler to use and when you put the car into reverse you get a split screen picture giving you both a bird’s eye view and a direct view of what is behind you, making reversing simple despite the SQ5’s size.
Those ample inches mean plenty of leg room for rear seat passengers who can also adjust the rake on their seats.
Beneath the powered tailgate you can accommodate some 520 litres of luggage rising to a hefty 1,520 with the rear seatbacks folded.
The practicality of the SQ5 means it’s a car you can sensibly justify buying even if the real appeal is – and will always be – it’s scintillating performance.
EDWARD STEPHENS GETS BEHIND THE WHEEL OF A NEW
Despite the appeal of saving fuel the main attraction of this car is the superb performance