Random Ivy Advice

This is a side-road blog. I am moving away from sewing and want to pass on some good advice someone passed on to me...in hopes that this will help you. I LOVE ivy topiaries! I think they look so good in my home- as a centerpiece, on a coffee table...I just like the way they look. They come in all shapes and sizes and can be such fun. I have lost so many of these after I bring them home to those tiny aphids or mites that must live in my home...YIKES!...and they take residence on the leaves. A few days later the leaves are yellow and fall off, thus the certain death of my topiary. I have tried insect spray for the plant, only to find that I spray too late and the plant is already too infested. For one more try.....hope springs eternal!...I bought a beautiful topiary at the Asheville Farmer's Market....very inexpensive...and brought it home. These are available at Lowe's, Home Depot, places you would never think to look. I asked the lady that sold me the topiary what to do about the bugs and she told me to use "Leaf Shine". She said it not only puts that nice shine on your leaf but keeps the bugs from attaching to the leaf, thus blocking the bug from ruining the plant. YES! I am trying it and hope that I will keep my new topiary alive until Christmas and use it for my centerpiece. I will let you know how it turns out! The topiary is pictured below.