By Ellen Russell
< Back to Part 1: Growing and Caring for English Ivy
To help English ivy spread as a groundcover, bend the stems to the ground and cover a section or end of the ivy with soil. The covered area will send out roots and establish another root system, helping the plant to spread and subsequently creating a dense carpet if ivy.
Most commercially available ivy is in its young, juvenile form and does not flower. Usually only very old plants (planted many years ago on walls or fences) convert to older, mature, flowering forms of the plant. Juvenile plants and their cuttings root relatively easily, making spreading and propagation from existing plants in your yard a real possibility.
When conditions are good, ivy can grow quite vigorously and may take off outside the designated patch, requiring pruning around outer edges. Well-established ivy plantings are simply pruned by cutting or mowing the edges where you do not want the ivy to grow. Escaping shoots of ivy can be pulled by hand to keep the plants contained to its area. Over time English ivy may loose density or become too leggy as the stems shoot out and grow. Cutting back or mowing the top layer of the ivy patch will invigorate root growth, encouraging new shoots to grow from the bottom up, revitalizing the density of the patch.
Ivy cuttings can be easily taken and propagated to grow new plants to extend a groundcover or for planting in containers. Cuttings can be taken from the ivy at any time.
Common landscape uses for English ivy are planting as groundcovers, training on walls and fences, posts or trellises, as well as planting in containers and window boxes as trailing accents. Ivy covers soften harsh building lines and add color, interest and foliage to stemmy flower beds and plantings. Ivies are well liked as a way to provide greenery and color splash during deadened gray and brown periods of the year.
Growing Ivy in Containers
Adding containers of ivy to groundcovered areas adds interest and height to an area planted with ivy. Additionally, container plantings allows a gardener to introduce two or more varieties of ivy for coordination and color mixing. When planting ivy in containers, use containers three gallons or larger to be sure you provide enough space for growing and watering.
Place ivy containers on steps, walls, patios, or porches near ivy covered groundcovers for appealing visual transition. Similarly, ivy can be nicely trained to a frame in a topiary-like fashion from the ground up amidst an ivy groundcover. Inconspicuous clear fishing line helps hold up legs of ivy to train it to the frame until the plant is well established.
With proper care, English ivy can also be successfully grown indoors. Containers that have been part of our spring and summer landscape can be moved inside for enjoyment throughout the winter after a period of acclimatization to the inside air and temperature. Clippings taken from ivy (indoors or out) are often used in floral arrangements, in bouquets and vases, which makes having a ready supply in your yard to coordinate with cut flowers from your garden very handy.
Despite the more demanding care requirements of English ivy as opposed to more easily grown evergreen groundcovers, ivy maintains its hold as a beautiful addition to any yard or garden. The benefits reaped from the year-round color and multiple uses makes ivy a plant worth the extra effort. Ivy is an ideal coordinate for almost any flower, plant, or landscape. Properly cared for, well established ivy beds will grow and thrive for years to come.
< Back to Part 1: Growing and Caring for English Ivy
. Questions of a Do It Yourself nature should be submitted our "