Sunday, March 22, 2009

Green Ivy

Some people are a bit Green with Envy of me since I live in Georgia which is a warmer climate during the winter months. I may have a bit of envy of them living in a cooler climate during the hotter months. Hey, lets don't be green with envy but Green with Ivy instead!
I may live in a warmer climate but we still get some freezing temperatures. We don't have the lush tropical feel during the winter. But I am sure to have some green around me. The front porch is so lost in the winter if it were not for my ivy in the planter along the East side of the house.
When all other plants are safely tucked away in the house high from little paws of kitty cats, or other flowers long gone to the compost bin, the ivy is always there to cheer me up.
It does so well in this spot that I have to remove it from the container every few years as it outgrows the box. I hope to replant this batch somewhere in the yard and start the planter over again this spring.

Don't be Envious of my mild winter temps, Get yourself some GREEN IVY to cheer you up while you are not, In the Garden...
Note: This post was pushed back during the winter months as other postings came up, so a bit late...

28 comments:

  1. Hi Skeeter !
    I think your ivy is very pretty indeed !
    I have Englemann Ivy (spelling this morning is chancy) .. and it survives this zone very well .. it drops its leaves after Autumn (which are brilliant scarlet) .. with the new deck and trellis work I will have to cut it back drastically , but I think that is a good thing to "wake" it up a bit ? LOL
    Very pretty on your porch girl : )

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  2. Love that ivy. Green indeed and beautiful.

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  3. wonderful container plant!

    cameron

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  4. Yeah, that's right! Ivy is wonderfull thrue all the seasons. I really like that.

    http://gittans.tradgardsblogg.se

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  5. I like the ivy too Skeeter. Be careful if you plant it in the ground some types of Ivy can become invasive. Of course all you have to do is mow the ivy then!

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  6. Good Morning everyone, A busy day for me cleaning house getting ready for guest...

    Garden Joy, I see that type of ivy down here also! This is the English type and I really do like it as it stays lush and green all year long with little care from me. My kind of plant. Your ivy will make a come back after a bit or clipping so dont worry...

    Blossom, Yep, pretty stuff that ivy...

    Cameron, if nothing else comes to mind for a planter, ivy is always a good way to go...

    Gittan, Ivy is a great choice for year round green outside...

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  7. Dave, no problem with ivy becoming invasive in our yard. The deer like to eat it! lol

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  8. Hi Skeeter, Love your ivy. I have one I put on this really neat old green chair back but it doesn't last through the winter. Guess it must be a different kind of ivy and I'll have to find something else cause my neat old chair back is bare!!!
    The gal who fixed my computer the other day is from Georgia. She had the neatest accent so I just had to ask where she was from. I don't think she's been here long.

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  9. The ivy looks perfect on your front porch--how nice to have something green all year. Yes, I am a bit envious during the cold winter seeing some of your green, but the rest of the year I'm pretty happy where I am! Besides, I always say that without the harsh winter, I wouldn't appreciate spring as much:)

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  10. RainGardener, The ivy I use is the English Ivy so give it a try and see if it will last all year long. We dont want a bare-backed chair. :-) Georgians do have a different accent even from Tennessee where I was born and raised. lol. I am sure my accent was really funny to people when we lived in Germany...

    Rose, Yep, that is what I say, during the hot summers of the Deep South, the Saint and I rethink our living in the south. But then again, neither of us likes the cold too much. Where is that perfect year round temps place to live anyway? lol. Green ivy is a fun thing to have around during the low growing season...

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  11. I've tried ivy up here and had no luck. It grows on brick buildings and stays green pretty much all year long.

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  12. Good morning Tina- Green ivy would definitely be a welcome sight in the winter months here but I will have to be happy to look at your for now!
    -Heather

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  13. Thank goodness for ivy! I noticed that mine in the ground by the garage is really lush this year. The leaves are huge!
    Brenda

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  14. I lived in Georgia for over 2 years and trust me, not even a tiny bit of envy here (the egg for Dawn was "planted" there and she was born there) as I will take a couple of months of winter to avoid the several months of terrible heat and the bugs!!!!! However I am very green with envy over that ivy. It is gorgeous!!!! I have NEVER seen ivy grow in a container that big and lush. I have had the english ivy in a pot in the house but it sure never grew like that.

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  15. That's a very pretty ivy! I've never had it look so good in a planter!

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  16. LOL, I do envy your earlier spring, but you're right; I don't envy your summers (MI is plenty hot & humid but not THAT hot and humid!) Plus, we do have some nice things that won't grow in warmer climes like lilacs, raspberries, and I'm sure more I don't know about! :)

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  17. Hi Skeeter, I love your ivy in the planter. It's so pretty hanging down like that. I have ivy growing in window boxes on my little shed but alas that last cold spell got it. Yet the ivy that I had in urns sitting on ground is ok. Go figure. Ivy is a good plant if you want some greenery in any time of the year. I like the hanging part of it. The best part is the low maintenance.

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  18. Dawn, isnt that funny how it will grow on a brick wall but not in the yard? lol

    Heather, Skeeter down in GA posting today instead of our Master Gardener Tina in TN. We do confuse at times. The green is a nice touch in the dreary winter months...

    Brenda, love that ivy! I am glad you also have some green in the cold months. Makes for a happy gardener year round to see some green if nothing else...

    Jean, I will envy your cool temps this summer for sure! So Dawn has a bit of GA blood in her veins. She must be so sweet from all the sweet tea you poured on the seed. tee hee... I have done this ivy several times to this length. Transferred it to the ground below the fence one year but forgot to keep it watered during the drought and lost it. sigh. Maybe this year, if I transplant it to the ground, I will not forget it...

    Catherine, Maybe I have it in the most perfect spot because it grows like this each time I replant it from tiny babies. Morning sun and not much water. My kind of easy plant to have...

    Monica, that is correct, we have some things you can’t grow and you have things that we cannot grow. So blogging is fun as we can see everyone’s pretties no matter what time of year! And in the comfort of our air conditioned and heated homes lol...

    Lola, now that is strange how your ivy died in the window boxes and lived in the urns on the ground. Makes you wonder for sure. Yep, it sure is low maintenance with little water required even during the hot steamy months of summer. It is a great plant to have and I think I need to plant more in some shady areas of the yard. I will have to keep the deer away from it as they ate 15 small slips the Saint planted last year...

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  19. Green envy or green ivy? Looking mighty good down there in Georgia Skeeter! Hello all!

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  20. Tina, it sure is looking good and speaking of green, anyone knowing how GA is during the spring will know that the green and yellow pine pollen is filling the air and everything else right now. Nasty stuff I tell ya...

    House guest's will arrive any minute now so I will be signing off for a while. See y'all maybe tomorrow....

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  21. Funny you should mention ivy because a few weeks ago when I was feeling really down about the weather I bought a pot of ivy to sit on my counter(-: It was very cheerful! I plan to take it outside to live after I am done enjoying it inside(-:

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  22. Hi Skeeter --love the ivy! We have some great weather this weekend so lots of outside time for the kiddos. Less time on the computers but the tulips are opening out back --so exciting. All 4 kiddos got alongside them tonight before our walk to get a picture. Have a great week!

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  23. Ivy is supposed to relieve negative feelings and promote positive ones. No wonder. It was dedicated to Bacchus, the Roman god of good times. Maybe the deer eat it to relieve S.A.D. Or is it something they relish any time of the year?

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  24. Hi Skeeter,
    Your container ivy is doing great in that spot.

    I love the ivy down here in sunny florida too. I use it trailing out of mixed containers AND as ground cover. Like you I take it out of overgrown pots and basically throw it in the back (kind of wild) area to fill in the ground.

    Love to use it in fresh flower arrangements, too.
    Meems @ Hoe and Shovel

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  25. That really looks pretty growing on the porch like that.

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  26. Its lush green is so refreshing, Skeeter.

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  27. I only now just received permission from the significant other to allow the english ivy to climb the fence in our garden. One battle won!

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  28. Cindee, Ivy is a great pick me up when feeling a bit blue! Heck, any live green plant is :-)

    Anonymous, you must send me a pic of the kiddos with the tulips! I need me a kiddo fix for the day! Who has time for computers with such nice weather? lol. We enjoyed a long walk yesterday with the Saints parents. They hated to go back to VA today as they are forecasting 50-degree weather and leaving our 77-degree perfect stuff!

    Walk2Write, You always get my mind to pondering a bit. :-) I think any thing living and green will promote positive feelings; at least it does in me :) I am not sure about those deer. One day they walk past something, then the next they may munch down on it. Hard critters to figure out at times...

    Meems, Ivy is a great filler of pots and such an easy plant to grow! I use it as a base with most of my artificial flower arranging also as it looks so real from a distance and also a great filler as with the real stuff in containers. My in-laws just returned from a week long vacation in Florida and had a great time with the perfect weather! They hated going back to cool 50's in VA...

    Dot, it sure does brighten up the bare porch in the winter months and adds to the look during summer...

    Chandramouli, Ivy is a great refreshing plant indeed. A nice pretty thing to see outside all year long...

    Nat, I know what you mean about battles with the significant other. lol, we argue about certain things but in the end the Saint knows the yard is my domain and I usually win with those battles. tee hee. Not always but usually...

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