Climbing walls

OF all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown' or so the carol tells us.

- Alan Titchmarsh

The ivy, too, surely deserves a coronet, not least as recompense for the disparagement it must bear at the hands of gardeners and tree lovers, for there are many misconceptions associated with its rampant habit and its ability to grow anywhere and everywhere. This Christmas, perhaps you could evince some sympathy for the plight of Hedera helix (known in the US as English ivy) and give credit where credit is due.

For a start, ivy is no parasite. It uses trees (and any vertical structure) to clamber upwards by clinging on with tenacious aerial roots. These do not penetrate the bark of their host, neither do they extract any form of nutrition.

The tree, the building or the telegraph pole is nothing more than a ladder, enabling the ivy to venture upwards to as much as 100ft in search of the light. To be fair, it manages to survive pretty well in the shade, forming a thick rug of lobed foliage that is excellent at trapping fallen autumn leaves and saving the gardener the chore of raking them up or rending the air with the drone of a leaf blower.