The Ivy League

lovely blog janey, i love ivy to and i agree the white one is beautifull :o))

Wow what a great blog and fab pics. I didn't realise just how many different varieties there were. So colourful too and all year round.

Nice little blog and good photos Jane. Surprised to see an Ivy with Bill Archers name attached, he was one of the old school conifer collectors. I also see you have some heather (Calluna vulgaris) growing in the last picture with the cute little robin..... Your new photos not half bad either ..;0)...xx

i enjoyed your blog Janey,and I like the white one too.Ithink mine is called
Goldheart,but not certain if thats right.It started off as part of an indoor flower arrangement,years ago,and i love its cheery colour on a dark wall.I can't ever remember seeing flowers on mine,yours are lovely.

Beautiful photo's-------------- thats the fattest robin I've seen in a long time ! lol.

I love ivies too and bought a small collection last year. I am hoping they will really take off this summer and start covering the fences. The white one is lovely. A small one, I think similar to your Koninger or Bill Archer, arrived on its own as well! I will take a leaf tomorrow and compare it to your photos?

A lovely selection Janey .. I like the white one edged with green as well , I love the way the one is beginning to cover the bird box ...... :o)

Thanks San...:o)

Heron...there are so many Ivies...all from different countries..all number of lobes and shapes....super strong survivors....pleased you like this few here!

Thanks Blue, now are you sure that's Calluna....not Erica...lol!!

Yes, Bloomer that's what I do, any that come in with an arrangement, I plant outside later...a lot are called indoor Ivies but they're quite hardy.......

Thanks Valadel...:o)

A couple I planted Gee, were from my Mums.....just this last couple of years and they are half way up the stone wall now and have made such a difference especially in Winter. With the garden being walled you don't have that far distance or backdrop and these help you focus close by...well I know what I mean....Lol!!

Lovely Janey love the first one and the white one edged with green.
Have a couple growing in our wood hubby thinks we should clear them but they smother the weeds and bulbs grow through them so I love them.

a lovely selection of leaf shape and colour. smashing blog

Pleased you like it Amy.....that white one is something special, I'm hoping it grows really quickly once Spring arrives....:o) Hope alls well with you and Tony..is he improving Amy?
Yes, as long as you keep the creeping ones in check Simbad, I hate to see them choking trees.....especially in Winter when the trees are bare and they're clogged up with it...:o(
Thanks SbG!...:o)

I love to see all the diferent ivys. I always use them in tubs and baskets in between other plants. You have lots of lovely types Janey :o)

Aw...thanks Hywel...they are reliable and beautiful aren't they....and not really talked about much...:o(

Thanks for the ivy info...loved it!

Such a lovely collection you have ... enjoyed reading through your blog and I think my favourite was also the one with the red stems.

I agree Janey, lovely collection. So valuable for the wildlife. We had a "hedge" of Ivy that we had to get rid of, but I really miss it, the blackbirds loved the berries, the butterfly's & bees loved the flowers & I also loved it for flower arranging.

Always nice to see Different Ivies Growing in a Garden & all yours looks very happy Janey :)

I love Ivies, as you know. That un-named one 'could' be 'Adam'....it's hard to ID them, though. It does look like mine, though.

I shall have to track down the white one! :-)

Fascinating photos, Janey.
My skin seems allergic to some types of ivy leaf.
Have you heard of that being a problem ?

ivy is very pretty, but like TT........ i found i was allergic to the leaves, i used to have a lovely ivy in my old house when i cut some of it back, it made me weasy and my eyes sore...... yours looks great and a nice feature to your garden.....

Yes, Tt - my husband is allergic to Ivy and comes out in a nasty rash if he even brushes up against it.

Nice blog and photos i also like ivy

Thanks for confirming that Spritz.
My neighbour has ivy growing much, much too wildly...
...and I have to be so careful when I chop it back where it invades my garden...
... as with your husband..just touching a piece of ivy makes my skin get a rash...:o(
...so I prefer to look at ivy from a distance ! :o)

Have just cut a leaf to compare with Koninger and Bill Archer and its nothing like either of them! I will post a picture - someone may be able to identify it for me. It appeared in my garden last summer and I dug it up and put it against the fence. It is only about 6-8 inches high but very dense!

I agree with you Janey Ivies are the unsung heroes, quitetly rambling away providing colour . food and protection, you have a great selection its hard to pick a favourite I love them all!

Great blog, Janey. Ives are not much talked about but are very decorative in their own right. I have a couple of plants growing in a hanging basket. I don't know the name of it but it is variegated & probably started life as a few cutting I once took from a huge plant that completely covers a wall, just a couple of minutes walk from here. Where ever the pot of plants comes from during the last summer it grew very well indeed. You can see it in some of the photos of my balcony as it was just in front of the door that leads out of the house onto the balcony. I moved it out to the centre edge of the balcony some months ago so as to make some room for my baskets of Fuchsias. With the extremely cold weather we have had the leaves have taken on a completely different colour - not a very nice one at that. But I imagine its bright yellow & green leaves will revert to their normal colour in a couple of more months.

Very attractive varieties and so useful in so many areas - lovely for the birds too - as food and nest sites.

Oh Janey, they are all beautiful. Love the white one - you've reminded me of what an asset ivies are to the garden. More additions to my Wishlist now :-)

Thanks for all the great comments.....we've had a problem with the computer so saw these all today...much better than letters coming!...:o)

The white one I think is Calico.....I spent a lot of time on Google trying to discover their names, but they may not be totally correct, the Bill Archer one that Bluespruce and Gee have commented on, I have since checked and in another photo looks very different and much larger, I was amazed at how many hundreds or more there are.........

Yes they are toxic Tt and Barbara...the toxin is Hederin a purgative, it must have been used in very small amounts by the old apothecaries, and maybe is still used in medicine today, I bet Healerwitch would know?? I'll have a look at Adam Barbara, this one is one of my faves.....:o)

Shall have a look at your pics Balcony....have the leaves turned brown? Maybe the roots have frozen in the pot do you think? I bet with a good prune in Spring, it'll start romping away...:o)

Glad your computer is mended, Janey..
.. and lovely avatar pic :o)

Aw thanks TT...:o) Finn not too well at the moment...having kidney problems, so the vet suggested we change his diet to no protein, he's having tests done...:o( Hope all well with you and yours...:o)

Lovely photos, I am a great fan of ivy and grow many varieties, have named two now thanks to your blog, the white one is Calico, it is one of my favourites, buttercup has been on my to buy list, I thought it was just yellow, does it vary at all?

Janey..thanks for this wonderful selection of photos of a much under estimated plant, During this harsh spell of weather our garden birds have really appreciated the cover the ivy has given.Have seen flocks of 10 to 15 sparows enter the thick cover of ivy on the sycamore tree in the churchyard next door..Wonderful ! x

Janey if you have time would you look at my blog Shes like marmite.....perhaps you could tell me the names of some of mine please.

I'm not too sure Dotty....I looked for some of their names on the internet, and then when you look at a different site, they look different.........I'm sure lots vary Dd...though saying about Buttercup, there is one in a garden in the village which is very golden turning to bronze with no green at all...may ask them if I've chance...:o) Will have a look at yours and see.....:o)

Pleased you enjoyed it Bb, its a great sanctuary for wildlife, isn't it.....those Sparrows would have been hard pushed this last few weeks, and my little Wren hides there all the time...:o)

Yes Janey..it certainly is.We also have a couple of wrens which roost in the ivy on the shed roof next to the back door !

Hi Janey, lovely blog & photos. In our neck of the woods Ivy is a no, no because they have started to overtake & choke everything in their way. I do put them in my pots etc, but now will not allow them their natural "freedom" in the garden. My neighbour has a huge one that almost pulled their woodshed down. I know they should have pruned & looked after it, but did not. So my beef with ivy is the birds eat the seeds in her garden & you know then what,Lol!! then I find Ivy growing everywhere in my garden, very annoying. Do you have that problem in the UK?(obviously not) Ivy ,Holly & our local Daphne is on the list for getting rid of on Gabriola Island. Weird but true.

I've found seedling of our native common Ivy in my pots from time to time. They can be quite a job to get out as the roots grow down very deep very quickly. The variegated Ivies should give a lot less problems as they are not as strong a grower as the green ones.

Thats true Balcony.....the common English Ivy can be quite a thug if not kept in check.....just reading Doons comment about her neighbours shed.....our Hedera Helix...will be pruned in the Spring as it is uprooting the coping stones on the top of the wall....I keep a check on the variegated ones, yes you can pull them down quite easily and prune them off.

I don't know of any restrictions here on them Doon, trouble is they seem to choke the deciduous field trees......I don't know why Farmers don't take more care to eradicate them by better husbandry of copses and woodlands.......I'm off to have a look now to see just where Gabriola Island is, it sounds lovely....:o)

Hi Janey, Gabriola is right off the coast of Vancouver (2010 Olympics) From Vancouver we have to the West Vancouver Island & then East from the BIG island U have a slue of little islands. We have about 5000 inhabitants. gorgeous place 7 we R lucky enough to live right on the ocean.

The Hedera Helix is a huge problem here, as you say chocking trees etc. Our friends in San Francisco had to replace their fence as it eventually got destroyed by the ivy. It had almost trunks at the bottom. Their fault, but as non gardeners they did not realizes the strength of Ivy. I guess farmers R 2 busy 'farming" We also have the natural Honey suckle that is very invasive, but I let them crawl against the bank for the Humming birds. Hope you find our Island.

not certain but I think that Ireland has it's own unique variety.

Yes Heron Hedera Hibernica...etc, there are so many different varieties!

Had a look Doon.....what a beautiful place to live.....have been reading about the stone carvings and to be right on the ocean...Wow! No you wouldn't want certain plants to take over...you'd have to keep the balance right here....:o)

I mentioned yesterday about finding seedling Ivies in my balcony - well, guess what - yes, you're right, I found one today! I soon pulled it out! I hadn't checked my plants on the balcony since before the first cold snap back in the middle of December.

A few days ago I did take off the newspapers that I covered my plants with as soon as we got back from Spain. As today the sun came out for a while & the day was warmer than of late I spent an hour or so cutting back dead growth & generally doing some "spring" cleaning. I ended up with 5 plastic carrier bags full of gardening waste!

Hope Finn is better soon Janey.....

You have had a busy day then Balcony.....you might like that little Ivy trailing in one of your tubs in the summer?? I can imagine you'd soon fill up the bags...I checked in my greenhouse yesterday and I think my Pelargoniums have had it, some were a bit mouldy, so I did the same....buying paraffin for the heater though nearly amounts to buying new plants...Lol!

Hi Bb....Finns much better...:o) The vet said that there was too much protein in his diet, so Ian has changed it to rice with small amounts of chicken...he's always been such a fussy eater even though he was a rescue dog...and wouldn't touch dried food, only cans of dog meat, and then mainly Chum Lol! He's okay for an elderly gentleman...in his 13th year now.........many thanks for asking.

Thats good Janey...one of our dogs..sadly no longer with us...was put on a similar diet of rice and chicken..easy to digest ..and it worked a treat ! Hope he has many years ahead of him.x

My Pelargoniums inside the greenhouse, with no heating, seem to have pulled through the terrible cold we have had, though the pot with the original 3 my wife bought me some years ago, although still alive, seems to have suffered more than the ones in the greenhouse.

If we get a reasonable day tomorrow I will go through all the pots in the greenhouse & remove any dead/dying leaves.

Thanks BB...I'll tell him......:o)

Are those your Angel ones Balcony? Yep, I've started having the door open during the day now, to let a bit of air circulate...:o)

Lovely pics Janey, I'll put pics on of my new ones (eeek all ten) on when they come, probably in February, maybe we'll be able to identify your mystery one then:-)

Yes, that's right, Janey. I don't have any of the other Regals though I found some photos of the ones I used to grow on one of the balconies I had in Spain. I really ought to scan some of my photos into the computer.