English ivy 001

General:

• Prefers bright indirect light

• Prefers aerated and well-draining potting mix

• Toxic to humans and pets

Watering:

• Water when first inch or two of potting mix is dry

• Water thoroughly until potting mix is saturated

• Fully drain excess water

• Wash plant periodically to dislodge any spider mites

Other:

• Fertilize lightly every month in spring, summer, and early fall

• Re-pot every year or two in spring or summer

• Mist regularly to deter spider mites

TIMELINE

Jul 14/20: English Ivy 001 joins our family! I’ve always loved ivy. I remember seeing ivy-covered buildings as a child and thinking there was something beautifully romantic and magical about that. I recently picked out a small tabletop ivy plant and was on my way to pay when I decided to “quickly” check out the hanging baskets. This beauty was full, huge, and only $7 more than the tiny plant I was holding in my hand. I’m so happy I went with this.

Aug 20/20: English ivy is supposed to be a fast-growing plant but it’s hard to tell how much it’s grown. This is one of the plants I’m worried about. Since buying it, I’ve read that English ivy is a difficult houseplant. It doesn’t tend to do well indoors, but fortunately mine seems to be relatively healthy right now.

I hope it does well because I’ve found that I can trim it back and use the cuttings as cute mini plants! This was an accidental discovery as I found a broken vine as I was inspecting English Ivy 001 one day. I decided to make two more cuttings and try to propagate them in soil. I’m not sure if they’ll root, but since there are so many trailing vines left on English Ivy 001, I won’t be super sad if they don’t.

This seems like a great alternative to buying fresh cut flowers (assuming you don’t mind not having blooms). Fast growing, trailing plants provide an abundant supply of cuttings that we can fashion into mini plants to decorate pockets of our condo. It’s also a nice way to use various bottles and jars I have squirreled away.