Basically, it can be said that there are no ivy varieties with red leaves. The climbing plant only has green leaves, which are dark or light depending on the variety and location, or are variegated white or yellow. When ivy turns red, it is always a leaf discoloration.
Ivy often turns red in autumn
Why does ivy turn red?
Ivy turning red usually has a completely natural cause that is usually not harmful. The red leaves often appear before winter. In this case, the leaf color indicates that the variety is particularly hardy. Sometimes the red color is caused by the location, rarely by lack of nutrients:
- Cool temperatures (winter)
- too much sun exposure
- too lean soils
Ivy prefers shade to sun. In strong sunlight, it gets red leaves even in summer. You can tell if the sun is to blame for the discoloration by the fact that the leaves of the plant growing in the shade are still green.
If the leaves are turning red due to a lack of nutrients, you should improve the soil with compost. It may also be advisable to apply a commercially available slow-release fertilizer in the spring.
What causes the red coloration?
Like all plants, ivy also contains certain pigments that, for example, provide the green or variegated leaf color. Ivy contains other pigments that belong to the class of anthocyanins.
Under certain conditions - such as when the temperature drops - these dyes combine with sugar molecules: the leaves turn red.
The same pigments also ensure that the fruits of the ivy, which were initially green, turn dark purple or black over the course of the gardening year.
Ivy varieties that get red leaves
Not all ivy varieties get red leaves. If it is important to you that your ivy turns red in autumn, you should use varieties such as:
- Artropurpurea
- nut hole
- Harrison
- cobby
- Steinweiler
tips
If the leaves of the ivy turn brown or yellow or if they even fall off, it is almost exclusively a matter of care mistakes. Usually watered too often. Only occasionally are fungi or pests responsible for the discoloration of the ivy leaves.