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Revolutionizing your landscape with Ivy

The Hedera, better known as ivy, is a climbing or ground-creeping evergreen. This versatile woody plant is part of the Araliaceae family, a native to the Atlantic Islands, and the southern, western, and central regions of Europe. It can also be found in some parts of North America, Canada, in northwestern Africa and across central-southern Asia, and to the east, all the way to Japan.
Climbing ivy is often used to give a stylish look to older buildings and gardens , softening the entire landscape and giving the property an old English appeal. To make ivy eagerly climb vertical surfaces, gardeners use a trellis, an open latticework structure, constructed especially to support vines and other creeping plants. Providing all growing requirements are met, the chosen area may then be completely covered in only one or two years.
As one of the most versatile plants for any garden, ivy is available in a wide range of colors and sizes, from the classic hedera helix to those varieties with palmately lobed leaves, or the trendy variegated species. There are many types of ivy, ranging from rampant climbers and tiny miniatures, to those who bloom. Training and pruning are essential to keep these plants where they belong.
Ivies are known to attract wildlife. They are loved for their hardiness, the extraordinary evergreen foliage, and are used to conceal unsightly walls and as low-maintenance groundcover to replace lawns. Ivy can be found in topiary displays, hanging baskets, and even though mostly used outdoors, climbing up an exterior wall, a wide range with variegated foliage and/or unusual leaf shape will also thrive well indoors, sprawling over a windowsill as a decorative houseplant.
Common problems with ivy include brown leaf edges or spindly growth, which indicates that the plant is getting too much warmth, or may have spider mites. Undersized leaves, or variegated varieties losing their multi color characteristics signify a lack of sunlight, and if there is a grey or white powder on the leaves or soil you have mildew. This means that you have been overwatering your plant and will have to let the plant dry out for a while.