| How should English Ivy be carred for when used as a ground cover? Over the winter our Ivy lost all their leaves. Is there any special fall Preperation which must be done in order to keep the Ivy green? What can we do to best help the established vines to grow new leaves? |
| If the vine is basically healthy it should sprout new leaves this spring and look fine soon. It is a bit unusual for this plant to lose all its leaves unless something has happened to it such as accidental overspray with herbicide or damage to the vines or root system. Sometimes in a harsh year some of the foliage will discolor due to exposure to wind or sun reflecting off of snow, but the new growth of the season quickly covers that. In future years, make sure that the vine is well watered in the late fall, gently rake away fallen leaves if there is a heavy mat of them on top of the ivy, and to encourage growth, you could top dress with compost and/or an all purpose granular fertilizer in the spring according to the label instructions. (Make sure to wash the granules off the foliage so they do not "burn" it.) |
