The Easy To Grow Climbing Plant That Adds Low-Maintenance Beauty To Hanging Baskets

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Do you struggle to maintain a lush hanging basket all summer, winter, or any season, really? You're far from alone. Elevated gardens can be challenging to keep alive for even the most experienced — or luckiest — green-thumbs among us. The soil in the shallow pots dries out quickly and the plant's hungry roots depletes it of nutrients in no time. What you need might not be deeper hanging baskets, a higher quality fertilizer, or an irrigation system, although all those things could certainly help. The answer could instead be in what you're growing, not how you're growing it. A low-maintenance, warm climate plant ideally suited to the aerial lifestyle is the relatively new ivy cultivar, Hedera 'Tropical Blizzard'.

This highly attractive, large-leaved Algerian ivy (Hedera canariensis) cultivar was released by PlantHaven in 2020 and patented worldwide in 2021 by its inventor and renowned U.S. plantsman, Sean Hogan. The parent plant, Algerian ivy, also known as Canary Island, Canary, or Madeira ivy, isn't native to America; it's homeland spans continental and island west Africa. A few words of caution: Algerian ivy is likely to cause skin irritation, contact dermatitis when handled and poisoning if consumed in large amounts. It's not clear whether these traits have been passed onto 'Tropical Blizzard', so as a precaution, always wear gloves when planting or pruning this plant and keep it out of reach of children and pets. Also, while Algerian ivy often appears in lists of the invasive plants you should never grow, Hedera 'Tropical Blizzard' is slow-growing and non-invasive. Expect it to spread once planted, but to remain relatively compact in comparison to its unwieldy parent.

What makes Hedera 'Tropical Blizzard' so low maintenance, especially where hanging baskets are concerned? For one, it's not fussy about the soil it grows in and will grow in pretty much any soil or potting medium, so long as it's well-draining. It thrives in full sun to deep shade, making it ideal for that dark spot under your porch eaves or the string light posts surrounding your hot and sunny backyard patio. And, like other Hedera cultivars, 'Tropical Blizzard' is evergreen. Plant this trailing beauty, and you'll never have to sweep up leaves underneath your hanging arrangements for at least a season in places where it grows as an annual — or ever in climates where it's a perennial.

The shiny leaves of 'Tropical Blizzard' marble cream to gold to bright green and can reach lengths of 6 inches and widths of 4 inches in ideal growing conditions. Uniquely, they sprout from hot pink stems. If you're worried about the plant spreading, don't be. Since you're planning to use it as a hanging basket plant, it will be well-contained and easy to control. As a climber, it can reach heights of 60 feet, but the creeping branches are unlikely to get anywhere near those lengths in a hanging basket. This cultivar is a little less cold hardy than its parent, too. It's a perennial in zones 8 to 11, meaning you'll need to grow it as an annual or indoor hanging plant in frostier regions.

Other Hedera varieties are typically available at nurseries in fall and spring, so it makes sense to look for Hedera 'Tropical Blizzard' seedlings to buy at similar times of the year. The plant is, however, available in limited quantities year-round. For example, Tonkadale in Minnetonka, Minnesota, sells an 8 inch pot of Hedera 'Tropical Blizzard' for about $40, while 1 quart pots of this pretty cultivar cost $8 each at the Greenwood, SC, nursery Wayside Garden. Like many Algerian ivy cultivars, 'Tropical Blizzard' remains in its juvenile stage for life, meaning it won't sprout flowers or produce seeds. Nurseries grow 'Tropical Blizzard' from cuttings after they obtain a license, which is required for patented plant propagation.

If you managed to get a seedling or three, you're now probably wondering how to successfully grow an ivy plant like Hedera 'Tropical Blizzard' in a hanging planter. Avoid water logging the soil in your hanging planter when watering this motley ivy; as we mention above, 'Tropical Blizzard' hates having perpetually wet feet. Use a lightweight, well-draining, moisture-balancing hanging plant medium like Soil Sunrise Hanging Planter Potting Soil Mix — a 4 quart bag costs about $13. In the first year or so of life, constantly prune back leggy branches to keep your 'Tropical Blizzard bushy. If you repot your plant about once a year you shouldn't need to give it any fertilizer. If the leaves turn yellow, the most likely cause is overwatering, but you should check for pests or leaf spot disease or move the plant into a sunnier spot.