I am a big fan of architecture. I like all types, except for the modern boxy looking house. I do however like buildings with charm. Especially an ivy covered building. You know the ones. They look something like this:
Even though the ivy is hiding what very well may be some amazing stonework or brick of an ancient castle, there is something about an ivy covered building that just seems to be, well, alive.
Not just ivy though. When I see vines growing on a building that makes me smile too. As was written in OldHousOnline.com, “A vine-covered wall suggests steadfastness and significance, wisdom and history.”
How does an ivy covered building get that way? How does the ivy cling to the sides of the building? For instance, English ivy and climbing hydrangea both have adventitious rootlets that actually physically dig into the surface. Some ivy pushes little rootlets into the sheathing, or glues disks into tiny cracks and crevices.
What is it about an ivy covered building that makes me smile? I am not sure. I recall a story my uncle told me upon his return from his trip to Europe. He told me he had gone to his first topless beach. He said that after a while it became more interesting when a girl was not topless. “There is a sort of mystery to it when she is clothed and covering herself” he said.
Maybe it is the same when ivy or vines grow on a building. We have the general idea of what lies behind the ivy cover yet what is actually there is a mystery, leaving the door open to many possibilities.
Are you a fan of an ivy covered building? Perhaps you live in one? Click here to leave a comment and share your opinion and experience. Would love to hear from you.