How to grow ivy topiary from cuttings

Even if you don't have a backyard, you can share in the joy of spring gardening. Let's start with what you already might have growing indoors: Is there an ivy plant that's been sending off new, bright-green shoots in the past few weeks? If so, give it a trim and pot a new plant or two using the cuttings. This whimsical topiary-style ivy plant will be at home on a deck or porch or in a child's bedroom.

We have a beauty at our house that lives happily on an upper windowsill in a sunny room. With new, healthy growth trailing in all directions, I clipped off several 10-inch vines, removed the leaves beneath the bottom nodes, and placed the new cuttings in a large, clear mason jar of warm water. Before long, we could see roots growing. Why not pot and wind the ivy into a mini topiary or two, and give them away? Friendship plants, I thought. And a fun gardening project for kids.

Here's how:

• Fill a 3-1/2-inch flowerpot with drainage hole with good potting soil. Water.

• Cut a 22-inch length of strong, bendable wire (or clip off a 22-inch length from a wire coat hanger). Bend it into a 5-inch-tall heart or circular shape. Twist the loose ends together tightly and poke the twisted portion vertically into the damp soil. The form should be upright and stable.

• Dig a hole in the soil to the right side of the form, remove one of the 10-inch well-rooted cuttings and plant it in the hole. Fill with soil. Repeat on the left side. Tamp down soil. Carefully wrap the ivy around the wire form.

• Water regularly to keep the soil moist. As new growth appears, tuck it in and around the form for a full topiary that will look lovely for months to come.

Alternate topiary idea:

Purchase a potted indoor ivy plant, or use one growing in your home. Carefully poke the straightened end of a wire shape directly into the soil as close as possible to the center of the plant, being careful not to injure it. (The size of the shape should be in proportion to the flowerpot.)

Wrap the trailing vines evenly around the form, tying where needed with wire or string. Within a day or two in a sunny window, the vines will conform to the frame.

Donna Erickson's award-winning series "Donna's Day" is airing on public television nationwide. To find more of her creative family recipes and activities, visit www.donnasday.com and link to the NEW Donna's Day Facebook fan page. Her latest book is "Donna Erickson's Fabulous Funstuff for Families." (c) 2016 Donna Erickson. Distributed by King Features Synd.