When we added a raised bed around the big Douglas fir tree in the front yard, brother Tim brought me a start of this colorful and robust ivy.  It was a bit of slow starter and I never thought much about it beyond the fact that it had pretty leaves, but in the last five or six years, it has outgrown its shyness and aggressively claimed more territory.  Like many plants and people throughout my life, this vine leverages its good looks to overcome my better judgment. 

The leaves are much larger than English ivy and splashed with varying degrees of brilliant white and slate green, along with a very dark green.  It spreads faster than English ivy, too, but not in the same smothering way that H. helix does. 

My future plans with this plant are to keep it in check, but also show it off–it is stunning! And it is really valuable in the calmer seasons when so few plants are making any statements at all.