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x Fatshedera lizei 'Curly' (Curly Leafed Ivy) - A somewhat sprawling (less so than other x Fatshedera cultivars) evergreen shrub that grows to 2 to 3 feet tall by 4 to 6 feet wide with 3 to 4 inch wide five lobed palmate dark green leaves that have curly margins and often a narrow creamy white variegation near the leaf lobe tips. Small starshaped white flowers are held in corymbs on short, branched inflorescences at the stem tips in late summer into fall.
Plant in part day coastal sun to fairly deep shade in a decently well drained soil and give it a regular watering. Generally hardy to 20°F and above so useful in USDA Zone 8 (some list 7b) and above and it can resprout from the base after a hard freeze. It is noted to be tolerant of air pollution, salt spray, and deep shade, and also useful as a house plant. Pinch tip growth and trim occasionally to keep it bushier and neat. Looks great on a low wire fence, but it does not self-cling so needs to be attached with plant ties.
Fatshedera lizei was the name given to the first introduced bigeneric hybrid between a cultivar of the Japanese Aralia, Fatsia japonica 'Moeseri', and Irish Ivy, Hedera helix cv. Hibernica (now called Hedera hibernica). It was formally described and named in 1923 by the French botanist M. A. Guillaumin who gave it the specific epithet lizei to honor of the Lize' brothers, nurserymen from Nantes, France who made the cross in 1910. It was first imported from France into the US in 1926 by the Division of Plant Exploration and Introduction in the Bureau of Plant Industry, later part of USDA. There are now many different cultivars of x Fatshedera lizei in cultivation and it has been difficult to track down where this smaller curly leafed compact cultivar originated. This plant is sometimes marketed in the house plant trades as Pia Tree Ivy or Curly Tree Ivy.
We thank the Grassman, John Greenlee, for our original cuttings of this plant taken from his Brisbane garden in 2011.
This information about Fatshedera lizei 'Curly' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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