Ivy For Your Home and Garden

sizcache="" sizset="48">

This plant, in some of its varieties, is possibly the most preferred ornament of the parlor. The ease of culture, its breathtaking foliage, its rapid growth, and evergreen character all combine to make it a preferred.

The soil ought to be a rich loam the richer the soil the more rapid will be the growth. But stay clear of stimulating manures. Slips root readily, taken off at any leaf joint, and placed either in earth or water in the latter they will soon throw out roots, and may perhaps then be transferred to pots.

The only precaution to be taken in growing ivy is to keep it from frost when in growth and if frozen, to maintain the sun away from it, thawing it out with cold water from whatever garden water feature you possess. In summer the plants may well be set out of doors, and will make vigorous growth.

There are countless species, of which the most common is Hedera Helix, the common twining ivy, a native of Europe, of which there are several varieties. The leaves of these varieties vary fairly a bit and numerous distinctions have been founded on these variations.

There are two really gorgeous kinds, the silver and golden, the foliage getting beautifully variegated with white and gold. The Tree or Aborescent Ivy is merely a form of the typical wide variety, which is shown by its returning to the primal Aborescent form not infrequently. The leaves are whole, and the plant quite often, retains its form for years.

H. Roegneriana is a selection with big, heart-shaped leaves, which is considerably esteemed.

H. digitata, the palmate or hand-shaped Ivy is a fairly variety, of rapid growth the leaves are small, dark, and veined. This is typically called, erroneously, the Irish Ivy.

H. Canariensis is the Irish, or Giant Ivy, the leaves are 5-lobed, and bigger than those of the prevalent ivy. This sort of ivy may not be most effective for areas exactly where patio statuary is on display since it can grow rather huge and overshadow the statues.

Virtually all the varieties of nurserymen's' catalogs are merely forms of these, with peculiar foliage.

The Golden Ivy is a splendid plant when the young
leaves come out it resembles a mass of yellow flowers. Ivies are grown in hanging baskets, around windows, created to trail about picture frames and seeking glasses indeed, they may well be created decorative in the highest degree.

The plants ought to constantly be nicely supplied with water, although it should really in no way be allowed to stand at the roots. Large plants of the prevalent varieties may well be procured inexpensively. The ornamental foliaged varieties are somewhat pricier.

If you have ivy growing out of doors (and it will thrive if you keep the winter's sun away from it), a pretty effect may well be produced by cutting huge branches, and keeping them in vases or of rain water. They will grow well all winter, and planted in spring make nice plants for autumn.

The plant commonly recognized as German Ivy is not an ivy the botanical name is Senecio Scandens. It is deservedly common, from its rapid growth and its freedom from insects. The Coliseum Ivy is a species of Snap-dragon, as might be noticed from an examination of the flowers, and a pretty pretty plant it is botanically it is Linaria Cymbalaria.

Five-leaved Ivy is the Virginia Creeper or Woodbine (Ampelopsis Virginica), a native of our woods. The Poison Ivy is Rhus Radicans or Rhus Toxicodendron, and not of the very same family members as any of the above.