About Ivy

• Ivy is adaptable to many garden conditions and can even be grown indoors. It is used as ground cover, wall cover, in rock gardens and as edging. It prefers a moist, humus soil with good drainage. Variegated varieties need sufficient light but also need protection from strong sunlight, according to FineGardening. Ivy is propagated from 4- to 6-inch cuttings from young growth of plants. Some types of ivy are toxic or can cause a reaction on skin.
  
  

Types of Variegated Ivy

• A wide variety of variegated ivy cultivars is available to gardeners. The Hedera helix type of ivy alone offers a large choice, such as the "Calico" cultivar that has three-lobed, curly leaves with variegations of light green, gray blotches and white edges. "Jubilee" is another cultivar of with miniature leaves variegated gray and green with creamy edges. "Glacier" has silver variegations with white margins. Algerian ivy, Hedera algeriensis "Gloire de Marengo," is an evergreen ivy with a coarse texture and variegated edges. It is a trailing type of ivy that grows rapidly in partial to full shade and turns bronze in winter, according to North Carolina State University horticulturist Erv Evans.
  
  

Moisture Problems of Variegated Ivy

• Ivy requires adequate watering during dry periods to avoid wilting of the leaves. Gardeners must strike a balance between too much water and too little. Providing sufficient drainage in the planting area with soil amendments like compost or peat moss if drainage is a problem to avoid wilting of leaves from water loss. For indoor ivy, monitor the plant to ensure that it is not rootbound.
  
  

Disease Problems of Variegated Ivy

• Ivy of all kinds, including variegated varieties, may suffer from Phytophthera root rot. Phytophthera bacteria come in a number of species that can attack ivy plants, causing leaf chlorosis, that is yellowing of leaves, wilting of leaves, root die-back and curling leaves, according to the University of Georgia site. Fungus disease can also attack variegated ivy plants, such as Rhizoctonia root rot which causes wilting and matting of leaves. Consult with your local agricultural extension service for proper treatment of these diseases.