Q: I need advice on how to nurse an indoor ivy plant back to tip-top health. My coworker has had it for ten years. For six months it has been limp and has been fading in color and in foliage.

A: Most cases of indoor plant decline are caused by too little light. I know it seems to be bright by the office window but the glass filters out the kinds of light a plant needs.

Two things for you to do:

Take the plant from its pot and wash as much of the soil off the roots as you can. Replant it using new potting soil. Fertilize with houseplant fertilizer.

Take it home for a couple months and hang it under a small tree where it gets bright filtered sunshine.

My bet is that it will look 100% better in two months.