Reader Mail
Dear Ivy,
Can I cut ivy and replant the vine?
-Crew Cut Cary
Dear Cary,
Yes, you can! There are two main ways of propagating your ivy plant. The first one I’ll talk about is called “Pinning”. It’s a fun little experiment, and all you need is a pot filled with dirt, and a garden staple or two.
Pinning closely [...]
One of my favorite places, part 1
The weather here has been rainy and dreary the last few days, and I was itching to get out of the house. So I made a sojourn downtown, and ventured into the humid green houses of The Franklin Park Conservatory.
http://www.fpconservatory.org/
The FPC was built in 1895, and is a maze of beautiful botanical gardens and indoor [...]
Sticky Spider Silk
Dear Ivy,
I have an ivy plant with spider silk on the leaves, how do I clean it off?
-Clean as a Whistle
Dear Whistle,
First, raise your right hand and repeat after me:
“I (your name) promise not kill any spiders that live in my plants.
They are helpful creatures and they control pests.
If I absolutely, positively cannot deal with [...]
Indoor Edibles
Dear Ivy,
Are there any edible plants that will survive as indoor plants?
-Hungry Heather
http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1970
Dear Hungry,
There are loads of edible plants that will thrive indoors! It’s only a matter of what you want to put into them that limits your options. Most plants that have a high output (i.e.- that create food or lage flowers) need high [...]
It’s Spring Time!
Ok, ok, it’s not really Spring yet. Not for about 5 weeks in my neck of the woods. But the weather here took a turn for the warmer today. It might have been the first direct sunlight my plants got in months! Spring means so many things to me. It’s time to start sprouting seeds [...]
Legginess is a bad thing?!
Dear Ivy,
Why is my grape ivy indoor plant leggy?
-Long Tall Sally
Dear Sally,
Leggy is something that we’d all like to be, but something you shouldn’t look for in a healthy indoor plant. Luckily, this problem is easy to fix.
“Leggy” refers to a growth pattern some plants will resort to when they aren’t getting enough sunlight. The [...]
Petunia Problems
Q: I think I over watered my petunias. They look like they died, can I bring them back?
A: This classic gardeners favorite doesn’t require much water, so it is likely you have given them more than they could handle. The soil in which you grow petunias should be very well drained. If planting them in [...]
Support for Ivy
Q: My indoor ivy plant is drooping. Is it because I over watered it?
A: It may just need some support! It’s hard for me to guess exactly what you mean by drooping. If you mean the plant is splaying out, and the stems are starting to hang, then not to worry! This is totally normal. [...]
Airtight Terrariums
Q: What will happen to a plant in an airtight jar placed by a window?
A: The working theory is that plants can be kept in an air tight, static (unchanging) environment, and through their own processes and those of the soil, would remain alive and even thrive. The plants take in carbon dioxide, and give [...]
Reader Mail: Spent Daisy Blooms
Q: My daisies are spent and all that remains are the dead flower heads. Should I cut these off, or leave them?
A: You should snip the dead heads. Daisies are perennials , and will come back next year. Whenever you have a flower or plant that is done blooming, you should cut off the dead [...]