© 2024 WGLT
A public service of Illinois State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

GLT's Grow: For The Love Of Ivy

Steve p2008

As young folks head off for a new school year, many of them do so in buildings with ivy covered walls.  This most collegiate of plants looks gorgeous against a brick building, but it takes some work to maintain.  If you're willing to put in the effort, it's worth it, said Patrick Murphy, host of GLT's Grow.

  • There's lots of ivy from which to choose from, like the English ivy known as Hedera Helix.  It's very traditional and the kind most often seen climbing university buildings.
  • Perhaps the best known ivy in the world is the ivy that grows on the back wall of Wrigley Field in Chicago.  That's Parthenocissa Tricuspidata a.k.a. Boston Ivy.
  • English Ivy is used quite a lot in landscaping because they hold onto their leaves so long, well into winter, often.  Plus their autumn color is stunning, a kind of wine hue. That would look stunning against a light colored wall.
  • You must manage ivy.  Remove it from your wall now and then, leaving the hoof from which the ivy grows fully intact.
  • Vines can become home for pests, plus ivy can degrade mortar surfaces if you don't pull it down from time to time. 
Reporter, content producer and former All Things Considered host, Laura Kennedy is a native of the Midwest who occasionally affects an English accent just for the heck of it. Related to two U.S. presidents, Kennedy appalled her family by going into show business.