Decorate an ivy tree

Sunset, Dec, 1998

An ivy topiary with just the right finishing touches makes a great gift or decoration for a holiday table. (In Sunset climate zones 7 through 24, container-grown ivy is also hardy outdoors year-round, so the trees can be used as handsome garden accents.) You can buy ivy trees already trained over wire trellises at nurseries for about $15 to $120, depending on the size. They range from 1 to 5 feet tall.

Four ways to decorate ivy trees

* Poke silver balls and red berries (such as holly, pyracantha, or nandina) into the ivy. Or use redwood tree cones and dried flowers.

* Wind decorative ribbon in a spiral down the ivy tree as shown at right. Start at the top and weave it in and out of the wire frame and the foliage.

* Spray-paint clay pots gold, silver, or green and set the potted ivy trees inside.

* Leave trees of variegated ivy undecorated and let the beauty of the foliage carry the show. Or enhance the tree at night with battery-operated white lights.

...and four ways to show them off

* Cluster three trees of the same height or varied sizes to create a miniature forest on a buffet table.

* Display a 5-foot-tall tree on each side of a door.

* Line up a row of small trees on a buffet table and surround them with wide hemp ribbon.

* Cluster three sizes of ivy trees together on the front porch, in a hallway, or on an end table.

Ivy tree care

To keep your tree heathy, follow these guidelines:

WATERING. Keep the soil moist but not wet.

FERTILIZING. During the growing season, feed plants with a half-strength dilution of a liquid house plant fertilizer every other watering.

SHAPING. Wind new growth around the topiary form and periodically pinch off shoots to keep the plant compact. Remove brown leaves regularly.

REPOTTING. Ivy trees grow best if transplanted into larger containers in spring. (If you leave them in small pots, the soil dries out too quickly.) Make sure the new pot is in scale with the plant; a container that's much too large can make a 1-foot-tall ivy tree look insignificant. Gain extra root space by selecting a container that's a bit taller, but not much wider, than the original plastic pot.