Hedera 



( 402 ) 



Hedera 



purpurea, and rtegneriana, are strong - growing 

 climbers that will succeed in almost any soil and 

 in any aspect. The bleaker the position, the more 



Photo: Cassai it Company, Ltd. 



HEDEUA HELIX MACKODONTA (see ;i. 403). 



of that exquisite bronze purple does the foliage put 

 on, and the hardier the plants seem to grow. The 

 smaller-leaved forms, such as donerailensis, gracilis, 

 marmorata minor, and conglomerata may be 

 utilised upon the rockery, for training up trellises as 

 pot plants to form window and fire screens, and 

 for furnishing tree stumps. Highly artistic results 

 may be obtained with very little trouble by planting 

 Bncli varieties as these close to, and allowing them 

 to ramble over, rough tree stumps. The Tree Ivies 

 are a host in themselves, for they alone count their 

 varieties by the score. To those who may be 

 inclined to ask why the Tree Ivy, so distinct in 

 appearance from the ordinary climbing Irish Ivy, 

 is yet referred to the same species, Helix, by 

 botanists, it may be well to point out that the 

 Tree Ivy is the form that the ordinary climbing 

 Ivy takes on when it has run beyond its supports 

 and has nothing to cling to. These shrubby tops 

 may, if desired, be taken off and rooted, and they 

 will preserve their shrubby character. 



Propagation. Cuttings of fairly firm, healthy 

 shoots may be taken in autumn, and dibbled into 

 a firmly made up bed of sandy soil in a cold frame. 

 Little water will be needed during the winter 

 months, and by spring time these cuttings will 

 have rooted. Grafting is also common, especially 

 with the ' Trees." Vigorous growing forms are 

 employed as stocks. Grafted plants usually move 

 more briskly than cuttings. 



Soil. Ivy will grow in almost any medium. 

 however poverty-stricken it may be, but, naturally, 

 the best results are forthcoming when good soil "is 

 used. 



Other Cultural Points. A prejudice long existed 

 against Ivy as a climber for house walls. It was 

 declared that it made the walls damp, that the 

 aerial roots pushed themselves in between the 

 brick chinks and loosened the bricks, and that it 



harboured dust and vermin. The truth is that 

 Ivy-covered walls are not damper than any other 

 walls, but drier, and that the aerial roots are really 

 only supports and not true roots, and their function 

 the' mechanical support of the plant only. They 

 may excrete a little acid, which corrodes the face 

 of the mortar, and thus gives them a better hold, 

 but practically their disintegrating influence upon 

 brickwork is nil. The last of the charges, that 

 Ivy harbours dust and vermin, will prove to be true 

 unless the annual clipping is strictly adhered to. 

 An ordinary reaping hook is the best tool, and 

 spring April the most suitable time. The 

 straggling growths and most of the old leaves 

 should be chopped off quite close. The stems may 

 look bare for a few weeks, but they will soon break 

 into healthy young growth, and in the meantime 

 most of the dust and the vermin have been got rid 

 of with the old leaves. Tree Ivies need plenty of 

 water at all times, and weak doses of .-nut water 

 once a week will be greatly relished. Once a week 

 should not, however, be exceeded with the varie- 

 gated sorts, or they will lose some of their 

 variegation. 



Photo: Cassell <C- Company, Ltd. 



HEDERA HELIX MAHGIKATA AUREA (see j>. 403)- 



Principal Species and 

 australiiiim, Ivs. grn. 

 Helix. Common Ivy. A 



selection of the best 



vars. is given herewith. 



The colours apply to 



the foliage. 



algeriensis, yel., gru. 

 (ttyit . viridis) . The 

 variegated form is 

 pretty (*//. canescens). 



arborescens. The Tree 

 Ivy. Great var. of 

 form and colour in the 



Varieties : 



foliage ('< separate list 

 of Tree Ivies). 

 anrantia, greyish gru., 

 veined. 



* cauariensis. Irish 



Ivy. Deep gni.. large, 

 rive-lobecl (//. gr.-inili- 

 folia). Variegated sul>- 

 var. 



chrysocarpa, greyish 

 gru. 



* conglomerata, grey- 

 ish grii., small, slow 



