How To Change The Color Of An Ivy Plant

Ivies are widely grown plants with many different varieties. Ivy plants have different leaf shapes, sizes and even colors. Many gardeners enjoy growing ivy plants indoors due to the easy growth habits of this plant. Find an indoor location for your ivy plant and then try different amounts of sun exposure for an interesting experiment. When you limit the amount of light an ivy plant receives, the foliage will change color in response to the light.

Step 1

Place the ivy plant in a location that receives bright sunlight to begin. The sunlight should not be direct; however, the location should be bright, with several hours of sun each day. This growing location should not produce any measurable change in the ivy foliage.

Step 2

Move the ivy plant to a location that receives significantly less sunlight. A small amount of sunlight is acceptable; avoid deep shade at this point. Allow the ivy plant to stay in this new location for several weeks and monitor the change in the foliage color. If you like it, keep the plant in this location. If you do not like it, move the ivy back to a location that receives more sunlight.

Step 3

Transfer the ivy plant to a location that receives no direct sunlight at all. A spot on an interior bookshelf would be ideal. Watch the ivy plant over the next two weeks and expect that the ivy plant will lose almost all color on the foliage. Ivy plants with variegation will also lose their variegated lines. Keep the plant in deep shade, or move it back to a location that receives more sunlight if you prefer more color in the leaves.