I was getting worried, I began to think someone had sold my house without telling me. When I moved here, the back garden was in deep shade thanks to seven conifers against the back fence. I had them cut down to 6 feet trunks and planted a different variety of ivy to grow up each of them. There are over 100 varieties of ivy in cultivation! Though admittedly some are hard to tell apart. I bought mine from a nursery called Fibrex which carries dozens of varieties, and the quality of the plants and customer service were excellent.
As for tight or floppy, this is more to do with light exposure than genes. Ivy on a forest floor will have its leaves on long stems and far apart. Halfway up a tree trunk, it will be leafier, and in a open, sunny position you'll hardly be able to see the stems.
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Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
As for tight or floppy, this is more to do with light exposure than genes. Ivy on a forest floor will have its leaves on long stems and far apart. Halfway up a tree trunk, it will be leafier, and in a open, sunny position you'll hardly be able to see the stems.