Hedera helix Araliaceas English Ivy
As long as I’ve grown house plants I’ve always had ivies, sometimes only a few pots of my favorite varieties (when my growing space was limited) but more often a collection of a dozen or more. Once when preparing a magazine article, I had thirty-seven scrambling around the greenhouse! The foliage always is fresh green and glossy, delightful the year round; the climbing or trailing stems are graceful and willing to be trained in just about any pattern. In the tiny-leaved miniatures there is a particular fascination in the intricate formations of lobes and points, edges which are waved or crinkled, and the markings, which may be dainty, pert, or bold.
(MEAGHERI GREEN FEATHER)
Hedera helix meagheri—a fine small specimen
These variations (actually mutations) of the ubiquitous evergreen ground or wall cover, are less hardy than the species from which they have sprung. Their outdoor use is best limited to moderate or mild climates—but never where it is hot and dry. Some slow creeping types like the variety conglomerata are delightful in not-too-hot rock gardens. Indoors, of course, you can have any or all of them, and you have many to choose from. Here is a representative selection to tempt you:
‘Goldheart’—Deepest green leaves centered with a heart of gold.
‘Itsy Bitsy’—Lacy leaves half the size of a fingernail.
‘Ivalace’—Fresh green with a crocheted edge.
‘Jubilee’—Gray-green spattered with white.