Ivy!
by Schnauzevoll
Hey there, Internet!
Back in August I wrote a post about my patchouli plants (see that post here) with a bit of plant-history. Been 4 months now and so I thought with a previous post featuring a painting with an ivy leaf I should do another plant post soon.
(Some of my Ivy’s / Hedera plants)
Poison or cure?
Even though some birds & bees enjoy the flowers & berries, for a lot of other animals & humans the berries or other parts, like the leaves or ivy in general can cause major health problems like skin irritations, fever, breathing problems or even coma.
Ivy also has been used to cure different health issues as well. (Still, don’t try this on your own, as mentioned, it also is toxic) It is said to help against arthritis, asthma, skin irritations to name a few.
The plants…
Ivy’s (Hedera) belong to the family of Ginseng (Araliaceae) with English Ivy (Hedera Helix) probably being the best known member. They are evergreens, some woody vines and often is used to decorate buildings or will climb up and grow around trees or to cover large areas on the ground. Leaves usually have three to five lobes, some entirely green, some with white markings. They bloom in autumn / early winter. There are plants that are called ivy actually are not real ivies / hederas, (poison ivy, swedish ivy, devils ivy or wax ivy for example).
It is native in parts of Africa, Asia and Europe but due to its good adaptability would grow in most parts of the world. In various areas / countries the once cultivated ivy now is considered as an invasive species. Ivy’s prefer to live outside, even in winter which is the reason most of mine live outside (two live in my kitchen since it is colder than the other rooms, so far I didn’t try to take them somewhere else). My ivies unlike most of my other plants won’t get their water frequently, instead whenever the soil feels dry adding a bit of fertilizer maybe twice a month.
Are you also an ivy mom / dad? Which ones do you like best? Have a nice evening!
I had an ivy plant for years but it died when I moved
poor thing but maybe next time it would work 🙂
Very interesting! I did not know that poison ivy is not part of the real ivy plant family! 😀 They are really pretty, aren’t they?
totally beautiful, yes 🙂
I love Ivy, although it can apparently pull a house down, I feel it looks nostalgic to me! Maybe it suits me, lovely yet kind of annoying, ha ha!
I already have a friend called Ivy but if not it would probably be a name I would have chosen for myself if I could choose my first name!
That as far as I know can only happen if the structure of the wall is already broke…
Yadayada! youre not annoying but Ivy indeed would be a nice name for you ❤
I think a lot of people feel that because something is natural, it therefore must be good for you – but people can forget just how dangerously toxic a plant can be. When we talk about certain plants having health benefits, the ingredients that do good are usually extracted and synthesized and the harmful or useless parts are discarded. As a biologist, I loved this post and its nice to see people enjoying growing things – I think this generation has so much technology and everything so readily available that they often do not have the patience for gardening. I sound like my grandmother, but I did love this post!
Zoe Beau. xxx
beaufoujewellerybox.wordpress.com
😀 Thank you! Being a biologist must be an interesting job!
Sadly you’re right, with so many things available people forget a lot of what previous generations knew. Starting with names of plants already, their dangers and benefits and continuing with ‘simple things’ like cooking and gardening – maybe because they see no need in learning about things that are already available for small money or in an app.
I love ivy! We have one in our sunroom and it has taken off – growing up the wall and around the pictures. I love that look but not when it comes time to dust around it. 🙂
😀 The dust, indeed! I guess if my indoor ivys started climbing I would google for hours to find a perfect dusting tool
if these exist… woolen whip?
Very interesting post. I love that you have ivy, I would be terrified to care for these. I can’t care for regular plants at all, they always die when i try. 😦 I love how informative this post was, I learned a lot about ivy. I didn’t know it was actually used for some health issues. Very interesting.
A lot of ‘poisonous’ plants actually do have some medical backgrounds that people sadly often don’t know about! Black thumbs can turn green one day though 🙂
❤ I have so much love for you!
Awww ❤
So interesting, I had no idea about the benefits or the poisonous effects. I love finding out about plants and nature and the marvellous things it can do. Gemma x
Thank you 🙂 Happy to hear that!
[…] you liked this post maybe take a look at my previous plant-posts? Ivy! and […]