48 
House & Garden 
ENGLISH IVY AS A HOUSE PLANT 
A l ine So Easy to Cultivate and So Satisfactory in Growth 
Deserves Greater Indoor Popidarity 
CARL S. DOW 
W E generally think of the 
ivy as a vine exclusively 
for climbing the brick 
and stone walls of buildings. 
But when grown indoors few 
plants surpass it for decorative 
effect in spite of the fact that 
it is without bud or blossom. 
The glossy green leaves are 
very attractive and extremely 
durable, remaining alive for 
many months. In fact this 
climbing vine thrives in its slow 
way in places where it receives 
little or no direct sunlight. 
English ivy will grow satisfac¬ 
torily in the darkest corners of 
a room if taken into strong light 
for a few hours once in a while. 
But most varieties of ivy 
grow too fast for indoors and 
without the dormant season of 
winter would become unman¬ 
ageable in a few months. The 
genuine English ivy should be 
selected for indoors because it 
it of slow compact growth, the 
leaves are on short stems, and it 
does not become coarse and in¬ 
conveniently large inside of a 
year or two. 
A slip of English ivy will 
take root readily, and with rea¬ 
sonable certainty, for the ten¬ 
drils which it puts out as assist¬ 
ance in fastening itself to a 
rough surface readily become 
roots if put in water or damp 
earth. 
Since the ivy is a climbing 
vine, it needs a trellis or other 
support when invited into the 
house. A slip 6" to 8" long, 
planted in ordinary garden soil 
in a clay pot will develop slow¬ 
ly, climbing over the trellis un¬ 
til it completely covers it. Nip¬ 
ping off the ends from time to 
time will make it branch so that 
the mass of dark green will 
show numerous young light 
green leaves and shoots which 
greatly enhance its beauty. The 
same effect may be had more 
quickly by planting three, four, 
or five slips, twining them in 
and out of the trellis as they 
grow. 
Of course the effect of the 
mass will depend upon the 
shape and size of the trellis 
which must bear some relation 
to the size of pot or jardiniere. 
For a 6" or 8" pot, or a 10" jar¬ 
diniere, the trellis may be 15" 
or 18" high and 6" to 10" wide. 
These dimensions, which may 
be altered at will, appear suit¬ 
able if the ivy is to occupy a 
shelf or taboret. If the mass is 
wanted in more nearly circular 
or spherical shape, the trellis 
should have greater width; that 
is, the width should equal near¬ 
ly the height. When the plant 
is to be placed on the floor, as in 
a sun parlor or glassed-in porch, 
a height of 4' or 5' is not too 
great. The trellis may be made 
even higher, for the ivy is so 
light that the developed plant 
will not be top heavy, especially 
when there is no wind to disturb 
its stability. 
(Continued on page 70) 
Ivy has been effectively 
used around a mirror on the 
sunporch in the Spokane 
residence of W. H. Mur- 
sittsoyd. Yellow walls, 
white lattice, black floor. 
Mrs. John Odson, decorator 
A well-designed trellis great¬ 
ly enhances the appearance 
of indoor ivy. This trellis 
may be painted white for 
contrast or given a coat of 
Holland blue where little 
or no contrast is desired 
By planting a slip 6" to 8" 
long in a pot of ordinary 
garden soil one can grow 
an ivy that will eventually 
clothe the trellis. Nipping 
off the ends produces a 
more bushy growth 
The height of the trellis will 
depend upon the size of the 
pot. For a 6" to 8" pot or 
a 10" jardiniere the trellis 
may be IS" to 18" high and 
6" to 10" wide. For lower 
growth use a wider trellis 
