The happy variegated white-and-green leaves of ivy will perk up any area of a garden. What a welcoming site on a front door or garden gate!
| 11-inch wreath base |
| 15 (3-inch) potted variegated ivy plants |
Prepping the Ivy Plants
Begin by taking the ivy plants out of the plastic pots. Using forceps, scrape off excess soil to expose the roots. Ivy plants are usually made up of smaller ivy shoots massed together, which allows for easily dividing the entire plant into smaller sections. Smaller ivy shoots are much easier to plant into your wreath than a large ivy plant.
Planting the Ivy
Start with a dampened wreath base.
With forceps or a screwdriver, make a hole through the moss and into the core of the wreath-base soil.
Grasp the base of the ivy shoot with forceps and gently place it into the hole, tucking the delicate stems inside. Plant the shoots positioned almost lying on the wreath base opposed to a more upright position. You’ll want to encourage the ivy to grow around the wreath, not upwards.
Push the surrounding moss around the stem to secure the plant.
Continue planting around the entire wreath, staggering and spacing plants every 3 inches for even coverage.
This wreath should remain flat for two weeks before hanging.
Pinning New Growth
As the ivy plants grow and fill in, you will want to pin down the new length using some U-shaped pins. The plants will obediently put a new root down at the contact. Prune unruly leaves to keep a neat topiary-like wreath.
Ivy Wreath Care
Ivy thrives in locations out of direct sunlight and loves soil that is kept evenly moist. Water your wreath by fully submerging it for two to three minutes one to two times a week or give it a long and gentle soak with water from a garden hose.