What do you get when you cross Fatsia with Hedera?  Fatshedera of course!  This resulting hybrid of two genera has been named a ‘botanical wonder’ after it’s entry into the world in 1910 at a nursery in France.  It is wondrous with  6-8″ wide glossy, gleaming evergreen leaves.  The leaves are what first caught my attention; shiny with a camouflage of greens.    Fatshedera can be trained as a vine, shrub or ground cover.  As a vine it has no aerial roots for clinging like ivy and needs support or ties to reach up to 12 feet.  As a shrub it will reach 3-4 feet before it bends or breaks and has a form like Fatsia.  As a ground cover the vertical stems need pruning to encourage horizontal growth.  Three plants for the price of one!  Moist well-drained soil is preferred by Fatshedera.  It blooms in autumn with sterile white flowers; reproduced by vegetative propagation.  It all seems too good to be true, but there is a dark side:  frost.  When temperatures dip below freezing, leaves and new growth can be killed.  This is what happened with my plant pictured below.  It was pruned back to the base after death by cold, but resiliently  it grew back in one season.  Zoned 8-11, it could be considered semi-deciduous in our area.  Sun or shade, this plant can adapt to either.  I grow mine in mostly shade and it’s thriving.  A wonderful plant pick for our gardens!