,VINES AND CLIMBING PLANTS. 245 



in our native forests, the exquisite beauty of a noble tree, the 

 old trunk and fantastic branches of which, were enwreathed 

 with the luxuriant and pliant shoots, and rich foliage, of 

 some beautiful vine, clothing even its decayed limbs with 

 verdure ; and hanging down in gay festoons, or loose negli- 

 gent masses, waving to and fro in the air. The European 

 Ivy, {Hedera Helix,) is certainly one of the finest, if not the 

 very finest climbing plant, (or, more properly, creeping vine, 

 for by means of its little fibres or rootlets on the stems, it 

 will attach itself to trees, walks, or any other substance,) 

 with which we are acquainted. It possesses not only very 

 fine dark green palmated foliage, in great abundance ; but 

 the foliage has that agreeable property of being evergreen, — 

 which, while it enhances its value ten-fold, is at the same 

 time so rare among vines. The yellow flowers of the Ivy 

 are great favourites with bees, from their honied sweetness ; 

 they open in autunni, and the berries ripen in the spring. 

 When planted at the root of a tree, it will often, if the head 

 is not too thickly clad with branches, ascend to the very top- 

 most limbs ; and its dark green foliage, wreathing itself 

 about the old and furrowed trunk, and hanging in careless 

 drapery from the lower branches, adds greatly to the ele- 

 gance of even the most admirable tree. Spenser describes 

 the appearance of the Ivy growing to the tops of the trees, 



" Emongst the rest, the clamb'ring Ivie grew, 

 Knitting his wanton arms with grasping hold, 

 Lest that the poplar happely should rew 

 Her brother's strokes, whose boughs she doth enfold 

 With her lythe twigs, till they the top survew, 

 And paint with pallid green her buds of gold." 



The fine contrasts between the dark colouring of the leaves 

 of the Ivy, and the vernal and autumnal tints of the foliage 

 of deciduous trees, are also highly pleasing. Indeed this fine 



