Growing Ivies
Whatever else may he said of the ivies there is no lack of choice, and they can he adapted to many uses other than growing in very hot conditions. As far as possible a maximum temperature in the region of 16 C should he the aim, as higher temperatures will almost inevitably result in leaves drying out and in time falling off.
Red spider is often responsible for leaves gradually turning brown and shrivelling from the outer edge; inspection of the undersides should be made when such leaves are noticed. II. canariensis (II. Claire de Marengo), H. maculara and H. Goldleaf are the larger sorts that one is most likely to meet. These are essentially more upright plants and should be grown on canes or against a wall for support.
Of these. Glacier is easily the toughest and is an excellent subject for finishing off the front of borders indoors and out, and in particular for use along the edge of outdoor window boxes.
The rate of growth can be quite phenomenal; less than ten years ago we used H. Glacier to edge a bed of geraniums outside a store shed and, in spite of constant removal of cuttings for propagation, the building has almost disappeared. The best of the grey-foliaged ones are H. .Adam and H. Little Diamond, both of which are very popular and, because of the demand, seem to he forever in short supply. The latter has, as the name suggests, leaves that are vaguely diamond- shaped in appearance, while H. Adam has very small grey and white leaves which are as beautiful in their way as that of any foliage plant. These plants vary considerably and plants with quite large leaves are often sold as being H. Adam, but the discerning purchaser should examine them carefully and make a point of selecting the miniature form.
Almost all ivies offered for sale as. house plants can he acclimatised to outdoor conditions. Plant them out early in the summer to give them a chance to settle before the winter sets in. They may be planted out as ground cover amongst other plants, or planted near a wall to which they will naturally cling; there should be little need to warn that when so used plants will have to be severely pruned periodically to prevent them becoming too invasive.
Another hedera with golden colouring is Goldchild, a much neater plant, but a little inure difficult to care for because of the small amount of chlorophyll in the leaves. Also it is a comparatively new introduction and it will be some time before it can be grown in sufficient quantities to become widely available.
March 19 2009 | Landscaping | No Comments »