82 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
USE 
OF THE ENGLISH IVY AS A GRAVE COVERING 
In many cemeteries where the Eng- 
lish ivy is hardy it is- a prominent fea- 
ture on many burial lots. About 
Philadelphia, where the winters do 
not hurt the ivy when so used, its use 
is more common than in the ceme- 
teries of other cities I have seen. This 
is particularly true of the old Laurel 
Hill cemetery. This cemetery is on a 
bluff skirting the Schuylkill river, a 
beautiful site as well as one most fa- 
vorable to the well doing of the ivy. 
Its height above the river as well as 
its stony formation leads to thorough 
ripening of the wood of the ivy, as 
well as that of all other trees and 
shrubs growing there. Then the pro- 
tection from high winds which the 
numerous monuments afford is also 
much to the advantage of vegetation; 
and this is why many trees and shrubs 
deemed not quite hardy flourish in the 
cemetery as well as the English ivy. 
The two photographs which accom- 
pany this will show how well the ivy 
does in the way it is used in Laurel 
Hill Cemetery. In the Koons’ lot it 
will be observed there are five graves, 
all covered with English ivy and with 
this alone, and do not all agree with 
me that it is well used? 
The second photograph shows how 
the ivy has been used in the “Brown" 
enclosure. As will be seen, it is there 
as a bordering of the lot and of sec- 
tions of the lot. In this case it is a 
great relief when gazing in the sev- 
eral tombs, and it is difficult to think 
of anything else of an evergreen na- 
ture that would equal in effectiveness 
this ivy. Evergreen privet is some- 
times used as a border to such en- 
IVY BORDERED GR.AVES WITH LEDGER MONHMENTS. LALREL HILL CEME- 
TERY, PHILADELPHIA. 
closures, but it is not nearly as good, 
for trim it as we will it never has the 
rounded, finished outline the ivy pre- 
sents. 
The ivy has to be tended, of course, 
to make its growth in keeping with 
the structure of the tombs and of 
graves where it is used. It must not 
spread to become of a trailing appear- 
ance, and it must be encouraged by 
proper training and pinching off of the 
ends of shoots to become of a rather 
rounded outline when used for bor- 
dering, as it is in the Brown lot. 
In the Koons' enclosure a little 
more freedom has been given it, and 
this is permissible, as a shoot or two 
trailing over the marble break the ar- 
tificial appearance of the stone work. 
To have the English ivy do its best 
it requires good soil in the first place. 
This insures good growth and rich 
green leaves. A little well rotted 
manure on the approach of every win- 
ter is what it likes, as this material 
protects the plants in a measure while 
adding to their food. Occasionally a 
lot holder will have his ivy plants cov- 
ered with forest leaves in winter. The 
cold of winter does not demand this, 
it is done to keep the leaves of a fresh 
green for appearance sake in early 
spring. 
As said, the ivy is not hurt in win- 
ter at Philadelphia, and it is not like- 
ly it would be considerably north of 
this city when used as it is here, for 
when in the ground it will endure 
much more cold than it will when 
climbing up a wall. Its foliage even 
is never severely h.urt when close to 
the ground, the most injury being a 
slight browning in very severe win- 
ters. This browning soon disappears 
when growth commences, the green 
leaves overtopping the older ones. 
It is in favor of the English ivy that 
when the earth settles in which it is 
planted fresh soil can be placed 
among the plants, a little at a time, 
without injury to them,' in this way 
keeping the grave to its original level. 
Fresh shoots are continually being 
made, covering the added soil. This 
is quite a point in favor of the ivy, 
as the soil of graves will sink, and it 
is not every plant that will flourish 
when buried deeper than it was 
when set in the first place. 
IVY COVER FOR GRAVES WITH CURBING, LAUREL HILL CEMETERY, JOSEPH MeeHAN. 
PHILADELPHIA. 
