Only a few plants have such a pronounced aging pattern as ivy. After about ten years, the appearance of the leaves in particular changes. Age plays a special role in reproduction. This is how you can tell that the ivy has reached its mature form.
How do you recognize the age form of ivy?
Ivy reaches its mature form after about ten years, during which it becomes more woody and shrub-like. The leaves change from jagged to a heart shape and the plant produces more flowers and fruit as the climbing slows down.
The leaves change with age
Up to the age of ten, ivy is primarily a climbing plant that forms five-lobed leaves on long tendrils. When the ivy has reached its mature age, growth shifts primarily to the formation of flowers and fruits.
At the same time, the plant becomes more woody and then looks more like a bush. Very old ivy specimens even look quite similar to trees.
The most noticeable thing is the age of the leaves. These are no longer jagged, but have a heart shape. Both age forms are possible on a plant.
Propagate ivy from the old age form
If you propagate ivy from young shoots, you will get plants that primarily form tendrils and are grown as climbing plants.
When propagating ivy in the mature form, however, shrub-like plants develop that stand upright and no longer climb. They bear flowers and later fruits that are not yet formed in young plants.
The flowers appear as spherical inflorescences consisting of around 20 individual flowers. The black-brown fruits in which the seeds ripen develop from them. Some types of ivy also develop yellow or white berries.
Young ivy can be cut into shapes
When growing ivy as bonsai, young plants are primarily used because only these can be cut into the desired shapes.
Ivy propagated from the old form forms dense bushes that bloom profusely in autumn and bear fruit in spring.
If you want to plant ivy that doesn't climb, you will either have to propagate it from the old form or get appropriate specimens from garden shops.
Tip
You should not grow flowering and fruit-bearing ivy bushes in gardens where there are children and pets. The fruits in particular are highly toxic and pose a serious risk of poisoning for humans and animals.
