Llanelli Naturalists Newsletter - January 2005 - No 71
Kath Pryce

Ivy is a most valuable plant and people seem to either love it or loathe it.  This autumn our ‘patio’ ivy in Pwll has again been covered with insects attracted to its flowers and hopefully in the winter months we will continue to see birds such as Blackbird and Song Thrush feeding on its berries.  The plant also provides shelter for birds and invertebrates.  So this is a plea to retain at least some Ivy in your garden, perhaps away from walls.  Incidentally the plant only flowers on the upper growth after climbing and I believe that you can plant cuttings of this aerial growth in order to get a form which does not climb but flowers profusely.  I have not yet tried this but saw an Ivy hedge in Scotland which appeared to be formed of only aerial growth.