This is a wonderfully variegated English Ivy plant, destined to become your next project: creating a live topiary! Topiary is a unique gardening art that takes leafy, dense plants or vines and skillfully trains them to grow around or through a wire frame. By training the vines and leaves into the direction you need to go through delicate ties and gentle pruning, a whole new topiary plant will appear to decorate your home.
Designing and shaping your own topiary can open up a world of creativity when you consider the possibilities. Live ivy topiary can be easily trained into two dimensional or even three dimensional shapes to fit any desired outcome. Whether you choose a traditional shape of a sphere or cone, or bend the wire frame into a heart, star, or circle, you will enjoy watching this multi-colored ivy turn into a beautiful topiary plant.
Creating topiary plants has been around for many centuries. Researchers have found references to outdoor topiary in early Roman times in Europe, done by gardeners during the ruling of Julius Caesar. Using careful pruning techniques and some rope ties, shaped topiary trees and bushes have been found in gardens all over the world. Ornamental gardens featuring boxed hedges and shaped topiary trees have been a feature in many gardens.
A similar style of topiary was found in China and Japan, called bonsai. This gardening art form also consists of reshaping plants into a desired shape, but is very different from topiary as well. The main difference is the trees and shrubs used in bonsai are sculpted to become a miniature version of their natural appearance. Another difference is that the root systems of the bonsai plants are often also trimmed as well as the branches and stems, so that the growth of the plant can be controlled.
 

Though the popularity has ebbed and flowed throughout time, live topiary plants gained a resurgence of interest during the Renaissance, and even made its way overseas to America in the late 1600’s. 
Yet it wasn’t until the middle of the twentieth century that live topiary began to make its way indoors. Gardeners began to discover some topiary techniques to use on their favorite houseplants, including fresh herbs, small roses, and especially ivies of all kinds. 

This live ivy topiary is a perfect specimen to use when considering how to create an indoor topiary plant. The shading from light green to a creamy white will complement any color scheme. The long vines are easily adapted to any shape of wire frame, and the plant will recover easily from pruning. Make sure to follow the care instructions, and also consider misting the plant gently once a week or so to fend off the lack of humidity sometimes found indoors. Your friends and loved ones will surely enjoy seeing your fresh topiary creation for many seasons ahead. 

CARE IBSTRUCTIONS: Let soil approach dryness between watering. Do not let roots sit in water.. Exposure: Bright, indirect light., Indoor Temp: 40 - 80?F, Weight: 2.25 lb, Pot Size: 6.5 inches, Height:2.25 lb

Care Instructions: How to care for your Ivy Topiary Plant?