Project: Ivy Propagation & Garden Trellis

I have a love-hate relationship with ivy. I love it because it's the only thing I can keep alive all year in the hanging baskets in my uninsulated, not terribly sunny enclosed porch. I hate it because, when it's left to its own devices, it takes over. And by "taking over," I mean, pulling down our fence. I'll get back to that in a second.

However, I also want something tall & green for the front of our (part shade) yard. The shrubs/trees I've found for that area run $150+ and usually require full sun. In other words, sub-ideal situation all the way around.

But then I had a Big Idea! What about a trellis tripod put in a decorative pot with ivy covering it? The ivy would be contained in a pot (I'd make sure of that!), would stay green all year round, tolerate the light level AND it'd be mega cheap. However, I don't understand why anyone would pay for ivy. I mean, it's a glorified weed! Propagation, therefore, was my only option.

(pssssttt...This is the trellis tripod I found at Luckett's Store.
I love that place! They have more of these if you want to do this project too. Or you could make your own out of cedar or other wood that would be durable outdoors. Imagine it in a decorative pot to be discovered...The whole thing will be about 5.5 ft tall once it's in a pot.)

And, as luck would have it, ivy is ridiculously easy to propagate. So, before our fence came down (the one the ivy was pulling down), I snipped a few 6" pieces of the ivy. Stripped the leaves off of half the stem & place it in water.

I change out the water every few days. Actually, the ivy doesn't look half bad in a vase! Below is a look at the roots that have grown after one week (the second picture is a close up of the ones growing near the leaf). Once the roots are about an inch long, I'll plant them in the pot & start training them up the trellis.