Ivy (plant)

English ivy

Ivy is the name for a number of plants grown for their interesting-looking leaves. Some ivy plants are grown indoors as house plants. Others are raised out-of-doors as a ground cover in place of grass. Climbing ivy is grown on walls and brick or stone f enees.
Ivy should be planted in rich, moist soil containing plenty of humus. New plants can be easily raised from cuttings. Climbers have rootlets already formed at leaf nodes. The rootlets support the plant as it grows up the side of the wall.
True ivy belongs to the genus Hedera. They are mainly evergreen shrubs. English ivy is the most commonly grown climber. It is hardy in all but the most northerly parts of the United States. English ivy has very inconspicuous yellow flowers and black berries.
Boston ivy, ground ivy, and poison ivy, are among the many plants that do not belong to the true ivy family. These plants are so named because they have ivy-like leaves.