Ivy has a sterile climbing/creeping phase followed by a shrubby, flowering and fruiting one. Often both types of growth will be present. However, it is sometimes also possible to root cuttings of the adult stage to produce a flowering shrub that consists of the fertile growth only. If your specimen has no flowerless, creeping growth and could have been planted intentionally this might explain it.

Hello! Sounds like she might be a little too wet - and they hate being inside as well! I bought a very poor thing recently which had been left outside all winter etc - but with some TLC I am sure it will be ok. Don't worry if all the foliage drops - it's a reaction to the move, change of scenery etc - citrus can be really prissy about that sort of thing! Pot into a terracotta pot if you can - they "breathe" so if you do over water, drying out is easier and quicker, and less damaging. use a citrus compost from the garden centre - they are neutral pH and really are worth the extra £. Then lay off feeding for 3/4 weeks to let her settle down. If warm enough during the day - ie above 5C you can stand her outside in a sheltered place, but I would bring in at night if it's going to be cold. then start to feed again - either with citrus feed, or chempack No2, high nitrogen. this will boost leaf production and green her up for you. do you have a greenhouse - she would be better off out there with some frost protection to be honest. Good luck, and let me know how you get on! Richard

Thankyou so much, longaeva54, for those two links! I am pleasantly surprised with the array of tropical and subtropical fruit trees and shrubs they offer. I think I'll get a container-compatible 'condo' mango variety, such as a 'Pickering', Nam doc mai, Julie, Ice Cream, etc. I plan to keep it outside in my garden from late spring to early autumn, then return it indoors before the night time temperature falls below 7 degrees C. I can provide supplementary artifical light in the form of two 4 tube 4ft 216 Watt 16,600 lumens T5 HO fluorescent units. That's a total lumen output of 33,200 lumens. Is this sufficient to assist the mango during the colder months? These growlights emit heat, but less so compared to HPS. With my two T5 units running simultaneously, the temperature in my conservatory reaches a sultry 35 degrees C. I keep the relative humidity high, at 90+%. My plants love these high humidity levels, especially my seed-grown carambola, which has put out an abundance of new growth. At lower humidity levels, I found that the heat from the T5 was driving moisture away from the leaves of the carambola, causing yellowing and twig die-back. Even my avocado plants like the high humidity levels and have put out a flush of new leaves. Despite such high humidity levels, I rarely encounter fungal growth on my plants. I think the high temperature discourages fungal growth. Bananafan: yes, I will post pictures of my plants; please stay tuned! I first have to get myself a decent digital camera. My mobile phone picture quality is terrible! I hear that Canon make some economically priced, yet good quality, digital cameras. Has anyone had experience with Canon?

Thanks to you all for the update and identifying the plant. I think someone has fly tipped a load of garden rubbish there at one time because it is in abundance. I told my gardening friend who practically knows every plant by it's latin name and she also was surprised it was growing wild in Thetford Forest at Great Hockham picnic site. ( There are a multitude of seed heads ripe for picking if anyone is this way and wants a lovely flower). Is it a Perennial or Bi-Perennial? Thanks again for takling the time to help. A really great garden website, will tell my gardening friends to join. CIAO!!