Ivy, English
Hedera helix
Family: Araliaceae
Evergreen climbing vine. Spreads joyfully. Native to Europe
and temperate Asia. Ivy is a hardy plant, to say the least.
Its main utility is in covering the sides of buildings, and it is often
maligned for escaping into the woods, where it can overcome the vegetation
and sap the strength from trees. However, correctly controlled and
shaped, Ivy makes a handsome statement. The leaves are useful winter
foliage for sheep and goats (hence the popular ditty "little lambs eat
Ivy, a Kid'l eat Ivy too), are good material for fresh plant poulticing,
and have been used ceremonially since Bacchus. The twigs make a yellow
or brown dye. Cultivation: Extra Care. Sow seed in an
outdoor flat or nursery bed in the fall and expect germination in the spring.
Grow out for a year in a gallon pot, then transplant to the landscape as
desired. Flowers very late in the year, yellow-green, in globular
umbels.
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