Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Free ivy

I happen to love ivy. I used it liberally at my wedding, and one day, I hope to have a stone cottage with ivy 'round its arched front door. For now, I'll content myself with Hedera plants I started from small sprouts.

Both indoor and outdoor ivies are a snap to root from cuttings. You might keep your eyes open for an overgrown bed in a shopping center, or ask a neighbor whose ivies are escaping their bank. Just clip a sprig a few inches long, dip the end in rooting hormone from a garden center, and plant in potting soil. One bottle of rooting hormone will last you for YEARS.

These quick climbers will send out new roots in no time. Now, while the weather is agreeable, you can also start ivy outdoors in glass jars of water, to which a few drops of rooting hormone have been added.

Related articles:
Make your own rooting hormone
Dividing daylilies

7 comments:

TheNormalMiddle said...

Meredith, I've actually had good luck rooting ivy without anything besides cutting a long stem and sticking it in good soil!

When do you divide daylillies? After they're done blooming...???

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this post. I love ivy too, but have never tried to grow it! After killing a $100 Boston Fern my husband gave me last year for an anniversary gift (I'd always wanted one), my green thumb has been put on hiatus, but I think I'd like to try growing an ivy.

Anonymous said...

My southern Sis-in-law has prettied many an ugly outdoor feature with quick-rooting and spreading ivy.

She has a few rules of thumb when moving into a new house. One is: Get your perennials in the ground right away ... because of an old-timer's phrase which describes growing perennials and has proven to be true:

"First year they sleep,
Second year they creep,
Third year they leap".

debbie

Shannon said...

I used a lot of ivy at my wedding too (it's "meaning" is fidelity). My grandmother took some from my bouquet and planted it for me so now she and I both have lots! I can't wait to use it at my children's weddings. Well, I guess I can wait a little while.... :)

Anonymous said...

For pothos ivy, you don't even need rooting hormone. Just stick it in the dirt.

Grace: pothos ivy is also good for brown thumbs. I've only seen people killing it two ways: 1) never ever water it and 2) bring it outside. Just put it anywhere inside and water it every weekend, and you'll be giving ivy away to others before you know it.

Monica Wilkinson said...

I have a bunch of ivy outdoors that needs trimmed - but wasn't sure how to root it! Thanks for the info. When I get it inside, does it need direct sunlight?

Meredith said...

Pothos ivy isn't actually ivy--it's a tropical philodendron. But Debbie's right--it's hard to kill and one of the few plants that tolerates low light indoors.

All ivies need at least some sun during the day. I have two pots which I switch out weekly at the prized kitchen sink sunny spot.

Lindsay's right--you don't need rooting hormone for some ivies, but it makes it more fail--safe for us gardening dummies.