278 
LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 
ever met our eyes, is that upon the old mansion in the 
Botanic Garden at Philadelphia, built by the elder Bartram. 
That picturesque and quaint stone building is beautifully 
overrun by the most superb mantle of Ivy, that no one who 
has once seen can fail to remember with admiration. The 
dark grey of the stone- work is finely opposed by the rich 
verdure of the plant, which falls away in openings here and 
there, around the windows, and elsewhere. It never thrives 
well if suffered to ramble along the ground, but needs the 
support of a tree, a frame, or a w T all, to which it attaches 
itself firmly, and grows with vigorous shoots. Bare walls 
or fences may thus be clothed with verdure and beauty 
equal to the living hedge, in a very short period of time, by 
planting young Ivy roots at the base. 
The most desirable varieties of the common Ivy are : the 
Irish Ivy, with much larger foliage than the common sort, 
and more rapid in its growth ; the Silver-striped and the 
Gold-striped leaved Ivy, both of which, though less vigorous, 
are much admired for the singular color of their leaves. 
The common English Ivy is more hardy than the others 
in our climate. 
Although, as we have said, the Ivy is not a native of this 
country, yet we have an indigenous vine, which, at least 
in summer, is not inferior to it. We refer to the Virginia 
Creeper ( Ampelopsis hederacea), which is often called the 
American Ivy. The leaves are as large as the hand, 
deeply divided into five lobes, and the blossoms are suc- 
ceeded by handsome, dark blue berries. The Virginia 
Creeper is a most luxuriant grower, and we have seen it 
climbing to the extremities of trees 70 or 80 feet in height. 
Like the Ivy it attaches itself to whatever it can lay hold 
of, by the little rootlets which spring out of the branches • 
