{"product_id":"canary-ivy-hedera-canariensis","title":"Canary Ivy - Hedera canariensis","description":"\u003cp\u003eCanary ivy is the big leaved ivy. Its glossy leaves are much broader than those of English ivy and only shallowly lobed, so the plant reads as a solid sheet of dark green rather than a fine lacework, and at this size it has real presence, whether it trails from a tall pot, covers a frame or climbs a wall. It is a warm climate ivy from the Canary Islands and the nearby North African coast, and copes with heat better than English ivy does, which makes it the ivy for warmer Australian rooms and gardens. It gives up some hardiness in return: hard frost scorches it where English ivy would shrug it off.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eIndoors, the light and the air matter most\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eInside, give it bright, indirect light: near an east window, a few metres back from a north one, or in a bright stairwell. It tolerates lower light for a while, but the stems stretch and new leaves come smaller. Keep it out of hot afternoon sun through glass and away from the dry air beside a heater or air conditioning vent. Warm, dry air is what spider mites like, and they are the usual reason indoor ivy declines: fine pale speckling on the leaves, then a dull, dusty look and webbing at the tips. Hosing the plant down outside every few weeks, or wiping the leaves, keeps them in check. Scale and mealybug turn up too, mostly on stressed plants.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLet the surface of the mix dry before watering again, and water less often in winter. A big pot that stays wet rots the roots faster than drought damages the leaves, so empty the saucer and never leave it standing in water. Feed with a half strength liquid fertiliser monthly through spring and summer, and trim wayward stems at any time to keep it compact. Our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/indoor-plants-that-actually-survive\"\u003eindoor plants that actually survive\u003c\/a\u003e covers light and watering inside in more depth, and more choices for the house are in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/indoor-plants\"\u003eIndoor Plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBefore it goes outdoors\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eOutside, Canary ivy is a vigorous self clinging climber that holds on with short aerial rootlets, and that is both its use and its problem. It will cover a shaded masonry wall, a retaining wall or a dull fence without wire or trellis, and it grows in shade where most climbers fail. But those rootlets work into cracks in old mortar and render, mark paint, hold moisture against timber, and push into gutters, roof tiles and window frames. Pulling an established ivy off a wall leaves a scarred surface, and dense old growth gives rats somewhere to live. Plant it only against a surface you are happy to commit, and keep it trimmed well back from the roofline.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere is a weed question too. Ivy is a recognised environmental weed of bushland in southern Australia: English ivy is listed as a significant environmental weed in Victoria, New South Wales, the ACT, South Australia and Tasmania, and while no state declares it, the ACT lists it as prohibited biosecurity matter. Canary ivy is not on that ACT list, but it can escape by the same routes. Once a stem reaches the top of its support it changes to a bushy adult form that flowers and sets black berries, which birds spread into creek lines and reserves, and dumped prunings take root wherever they land. Clip the climbing tips before they reach the top so it never fruits, put trimmings in the general waste bin, and check your council weed list if the garden borders bush.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll parts are harmful if eaten. The leaves and berries contain saponins that cause vomiting and diarrhoea in people, dogs and cats, so keep a trailing pot out of reach of pets that chew, and the sap brings up an itchy rash on some people's skin, so wear gloves when pruning. If you would rather have greenery on a fence without rootlets on the paint, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/trachelospermum-jasminoides\"\u003eStar Jasmine\u003c\/a\u003e twines up wire and comes away cleanly; the other twiners and clingers are in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/climbers\"\u003eClimbing Plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 500mm, at $569.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/when-to-plant-trees-and-shrubs-australia\"\u003ewhen to plant in Australia\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"500mm","offer_id":67672249074033,"sku":null,"price":569.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/canary-ivy-hedera-canariensis.jpg?v=1791524928","url":"https:\/\/plantdrop.com.au\/products\/canary-ivy-hedera-canariensis","provider":"Plant Drop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}