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Ivy is one of the most popular plants to grow indoors, thanks to its handsome looks and easy-to-grow nature.
As there are many types of Ivy Houseplants available, it can become quite tough for you to take your pick, and to make it easy for you, we have put in the most exclusive ones to help you decide!
In this article, you will learn about the many different varieties of ivy and how to care for them well.
Different Types Of Ivy Houseplants That You Should Know
There are different types of Ivy houseplants that you should know.
Most of them includes:
1. Gold Child Ivy
Goldchild is a popular type of English ivy that can be identified by its smaller leaves. It has bright yellow or gold edges.
This type of ivy is an excellent houseplant ivy. It has a softer leaf shape with a paper, pretty straight veins that have a silver-green finishing touch.
It is a very hardy USDA Zones 3 to 9 and it’s an easy to grow kind of plant with an adaptable variety.
It is 3 feet tall (90cm) and 2 feet in spread (60 cm).
It uses semi-hardwood cuttings in the summer to propagate it.
2. Iva lace Ivy
This is another variety of an English Ivy called Iva Lace.
It is a houseplant that has an attractive ornamental look and is easy and versatile to plant and look after.
They are dark rich green with lighter light at the top, and light but bright green at the bottom.
If you want to have a classical look with a bit of originality, you should consider getting this plant.
The beauty of this plant is that the leaves are attractive enough to draw you in with their rebellious look, and the wild appearance of this ivy is then underscored by very glossy leaves indeed.
It also uses semi-hardwood cuttings in summer to propagate it.
3. Tripod Ivy
This is another type of ivy. Its leaves have three long slender, and pointed lobes.
It has a glossy texture with a deep and rich green color which is divided fairly regularly by lighter green veins, and it is sometimes called arrowhead ivy.
The foliage of this plant is thick and different from the other type of ivy that we have seen.
It is suitable for tropical or mediterranean gardens, where the many lush leaves will remind your visitors of a shady spot in an exotic place, hidden under the canopy of a green and wild rainforest.
As you grow this plant, you should be careful because the sap of Tripod is very irritating, and the leaves/fruit is very poisonous.
It uses semi-hardwood cuttings in summer to propagate it but as you do so, make sure you leave at least three leaves on each cutting.
4. Anne Marie Ivy
Anne Marie ivy is a soft and classical-looking plant with shallow gaps between the lobes, which gives them a very smooth and appeasing appearance.
The leaves have delicate veins, and their color is usually forest to hunter green in the middle, but the edges are cream.
However, you may have variations according to light exposure, as they may turn light green in the Sunlight.
It is suitable for urban gardening and also uses semi-hardwood cuttings.
5. Golden Curl Ivy
This is one of the vibrant and energetic varities of the English ivy.
Its leaves are curly at the edges and it is almost a lemon yellow for most of the leaf that has beautifully rich and often dark patches towards the edges of the leaf.
Read Also: Effective Tips On How To Kill Ground Ivy
6. Needlepoint
The Needlepoint ivy (Hedera helix ‘Needlepoint’) is identified by its leaf shape with small sharply-pointed lobes.
It grows well in most types of soil which is great in hanging baskets, small containers or as ground cover in your garden.
It also offers you very well-divided and pointed lobes, bringing the classical ivy leaf shape to its extremes.
If it is the shape of the leaf that you want to highlight in your garden, then this is arguably the best variety to have.
The leaves themselves are dark emerald to jade green.
They grow at regular intervals on the vines, but the overall effect is one of almost complete foliage cover.
So if you consider this plant, this is an ideal variety of ivy to turn that boring wall or fence of yours into an interesting pattern of green and five-fingered waving hands, and it will also look great growing on the steps that lead to your front door, greeting your guests as they arrive.
7. Algerian Ivy
The Algerian ivy (Hedera algeriensis) is a type of climbing plant that has large lobed leaves and can be an invasive type of plant.
This ivy plant also goes by the name of Canary Island Ivy or North African ivy.
It typically has dark green leaves, although you can also find variegated varieties.
The Algerian ivy can climb up walls fairly quickly with its vines reaching up to 40 ft. (12 m).
Furthermore, it tends to grow well in most soils. Although it will grow in sunny conditions, it requires constantly moist soil to prevent its growth from being stunted.
8. Canarian Ivy
The Canarian ivy (Hedera canariensis) is a woody bush-type of ivy plant that is native to North Africa and the Canary Islands.
Although some people refer to the Algerian ivy as the Canary ivy, the Canarian ivy is its species.
This type of ivy can cling to many surfaces and grow to a height of 100 ft. (30 m). It has a large shiny green foliage that provides a good dense cover.
If there are no surfaces to cling to, then the Canarian ivy also provides good ground cover.
Comparing this species to some other popular types of ivy, the Hedera canariensis grows and climbs very rapidly.
You can also plant the Canarian ivy in the garden and train it to grow into a shrub or bush.
9. Irish Ivy Plant
The Irish ivy (Hedera Hibernica) is a great type of ivy that grow outdoors to provide ground cover or climb up walls.
It has dark green glossy leaves.
This type of ivy can be quite invasive, so if you grow it in your garden, you will need to cut it back every spring.
Some local authorities take steps to remove this type of ivy due to its fast growth rate.
10. Japanese Ivy Vine
The Japanese ivy (Hedera rhombea) is native to Asian countries and has fairly large heart-shaped leaves.
Its leaves are the white veins running through the dark green leaves. Although this is a climber plant, it doesn’t climb as tall as some of the other types of ivies.
Furthermore, it is also a flowering type of ivy that produces small flowers in an umbrella shape.
After the ivy flowers have matured, some black round fruits appear.
Usually, Japanese ivies are not cultivated for their climbing ability or ground cover but as ornamental features in gardens.
11. Himalayan Ivy
This type of ivy is native to countries in Asia.
It can grow at altitudes of up to 3,000 m.
The leaves of this ivy are usually dark green with light-colored veins running through them.
Each vine on the leaves consists of elongated triangular leaves that can grow up to 6″ (15 cm) long. Though, some types of Himalayan ivy produce vines with very small leaves that can be as small as 1 which simply mean 3 cm.
It also has woody vines which can grow up to 100 ft. (30 m) tall. However, the ivy doesn’t provide as much cover as the English ivy varieties or the Irish ivy but it is still worth it.
So, if you are looking for a good, hard-climbing ivy, then this type of ivy is a good choice.
12. Russian Ivy
This type of ivy is called a Russian Ivy (Hedera pastuchovii) which is a fast growing type of vine that produces long dangling white flowers.
It has long climbing stems and is commonly found in forests climbing up trees.
Unlike some types of ivy, Russian ivy has thin leaves that are light green and often with wavy edges.
It normally grows better as a climbing vine rather than a creeping ivy on the ground.
During the summertime, it becomes a flowering ivy with small white flowers that develop into small inedible fruit.
13. Boston Ivy
The Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) is a type of flowering woody vine that is also called the Japanese Creeper or Woodbine.
Although the Boston ivy is commonly found on a list of popular ivies, it isn’t a true type of ivy.
The reason is because of its climbing ability.
It has fairly large leaves that provide dense coverage where it grows and each leaf is a three-pointed light green leaf that grows between 2″ and 8″ (5 – 20 cm) across.
This ivy vine will grow well on the facades of buildings. Some building owners use Boston ivies to cover walls for shade in the summertime.
14. Swedish Ivy
Swedish ivy (Plectranthus Australis) is an herbaceous evergreen perennial.
Gardeners usually love its cascading branches with a hearing shed serrated leaves, which can be light, jade green, or darker Barbour green with cream edges with the variegata variety.
It also produces a white or purple, long and tubular flowers, which make it ideal as a smaller ivy-like plant to grow.
FAQs
1. What Is The Most Common Ivy Houseplant?
The most common Ivy houseplant is Jubilee Ivy while English ivy cultivars are the most popular varieties to grow indoors.
Other ivy species can also make great houseplants, and their care is very similar to that of English ivy.
2. How Do I Identify Ivy?
You can identify Ivy plants by different means.
For instance, most leaves are juvenile that has dull green, lobed, with distinct light veins, and also reproduce by forming roots at stem nodes.
Mature leaves are glossy green and unlobed, reproducing via umbrella-shaped clusters of greenish flowers followed by dark, berry-like fruits.
Ivy weighs down trees, making them more likely to fall.
3. Is It Good To Have Ivy In Your House?
Having Ivy in the house isn’t quite a good idea. This is because of its strong attachment to walls, which can be a problem for homeowners, concerned about whether it might damage wall surfaces or block gutters.
Growing ivy or other climbers up a building wall can, however, have many benefits; the vegetative cover can insulate and cool the building, trap pollutants, and attenuate noise.
4. Does Ivy Like Sun Or Shade?
Most cultivars of ivy grow best in bright light, but not in direct sun. They tolerate low to medium light, but growth is reduced and variegated forms may turn all green. To maintain the bright color of variegated ivy, give it plenty of light.
5. How Do I Know If My Ivy Plant Needs Water?
You can know by constantly checking the soil moisture with your finger.
If the top 2-4” (5-10 cm) of soil is dry, or plants are wilted, it is time to water.
Apply water at the soil level if possible to avoid wetting the foliage.
6. Is Ivy A Lucky Plant?
The Golden Pothos, also known as Devil’s Ivy, is considered lucky in Feng Shui.
Part of the Money plant family, it is believed that they can bring good fortune, a prosperous future, and stability in life.
So, an Ivy plant isn’t a lucky plant; rather it represents long-lasting friendships or relationships in Feng Shui due to their clinging.
7. Can I Ivy Grow Without Sunlight?
English ivy prefers bright indirect light but can tolerate low light.
The more light this ivy gets, the more beautiful color will show through its leaves.
However, direct light can lead to its demise.
Many other ivy varieties like the pothos listed below also work well in indirect light and shady spots.
8. Can You Have Ivy In Your Bedroom?
Whether draping over your nightstand or from a hanging planter, English ivy is a great choice for the bedroom, as this trailing plant is known to release oxygen and absorb indoor air pollutants like formaldehyde and ammonia.
9. Does Ivy Need Soil To Grow?
Ivies are generally unfussy as to their soil requirements, as long as the site isn’t waterlogged.
Common ivy (Hedera helix) grows best in alkaline soils.
In acidic conditions try Persian ivy (Hedera colchica) or Algerian ivy (H. algeriensis).
10. What Does Ivy Mean Spiritually?
Ivy symbolizes fidelity (it won’t easily let go of something it’s attached itself to) and eternal life (because the plant is evergreen).
In ancient Egypt, ivy was dedicated to Osiris, who represented immortality. In ancient Greece, ivy was the plant of Dionysus because of its vigor.
Conclusion
Ivy can make your garden look like it’s always been there even if it is only a few years old.
So consider planting any of these ivy plants today.
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