Winter Berries and Ivy

About this work

The stem traces a long, easy curve across the sheet, so the eye drifts with it from the upper left down to the lower right, much as ivy itself trails over a wall. Around fourteen leaves, dark green with engraved veins, are spaced along the way; several have their edges picked out in fine gold, which catches the light here and there rather than all at once. On the left, halfway down, a cluster of about six blue-black berries forms the darkest accent. At the bottom, two round rose hips in orange-red, with dark sepal tips, add warmth and balance the berries. The pale sage ground keeps everything light and airy, a softer setting than the dark backgrounds of many gold botanicals. Close up, the veins and gold edges are clear; from afar, the stem reads as a fresh green garland.

Common ivy, Hedera helix, keeps an unusual timetable. It flowers in autumn, when most plants have finished, and its berries ripen slowly through the cold months, turning black in late winter. That timing makes them an important food for birds such as blackbirds, thrushes and wood pigeons at the leanest time of year, when little else is left on the hedges. Ivy has long been paired with holly in winter greenery, and the two plants share the title of The Holly and the Ivy, a traditional English carol first printed in the early 19th century. Here the ivy shares the page with rose hips, another winter fruit that hungry birds rely on.

Over Christmas it adds quiet greenery to a kitchen or hallway, and from Twelfth Night through to spring it simply looks fresh, so there is no need to take it down. White, sage, cream and warm grey walls suit it, and a pale oak, white or thin gold frame keeps the airy feel; a white mat adds space around the trailing stem. Soft daylight brings out the sage ground and the fine gold edges. Winter Botanical Herbarium makes a good partner for a seasonal wall, and The Lemon Branch shares its light, airy background. Printed from the 7168 × 10752 px file, it stays sharp to about 60 × 90 cm. A Frame TV version with a gallery mat is included.