Weedy and Potentially Invasive: Do Not Plant
Common Name: English ivy
Type: Vine
Family: Araliaceae
Native Range: Europe, Scandinavia, Russia
Zone: 4 to 9
Height: 20.00 to 80.00 feet
Spread: 3.00 to 50.00 feet
Bloom Time: September to October
Bloom Description: Greenish white
Sun: Part shade to full shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Ground Cover, Naturalize
Flower: Insignificant
Leaf: Evergreen
Other: Winter Interest
Tolerate: Drought, Heavy Shade
Culture
Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in part shade to full shade. Will also grow in full sun. Tolerates a wide range of soils, but prefers rich loams. Tolerates some drought, but produces best foliage color in evenly moist soils. In the St. Louis area, plants will benefit from a placement that will provide some protection from winter wind and sun and from hot summer temperatures. Plants may be propagated vegetatively or by seed. Birds help disperse seed. Spreading stems will root at the nodes where they touch the soil. Ground covers rarely need pruning except when they invade unintended areas. Ground covers may be trimmed on the edges with a spade or shears.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Hedera helix, commonly known as English ivy, is a vigorous, aggressive, fast-growing, woody evergreen perennial that is primarily grown as a climbing vine or trailing ground cover. As a climbing vine, it may over time grow upwards to 50-100' in height. As a ground cover, it typically grows to 6-9" tall but spreads over time to 50-100'. English ivy grows in two forms or stages: (1) juvenile stage is the climbing/spreading stage (most often seen) in which plants produces thick, 3-5 lobed, dark green leaves (to 4” long ) on non-flowering stems with adventitious roots, and (2) adult stage is the shrubby non-climbing stage in which lobeless, elliptic-ovate, dark green leaves appear on rootless stems that do not spread or climb, but do produce round, umbrella-like clusters of greenish-white flowers in early fall followed by blue-black berries. Native to Europe, English ivy was brought to the U. S. by settlers in colonial days. It has been and continues to be widely sold in the U. S. as an ornamental plant. It has escaped gardens and naturalized in a large number of eastern, midwestern and pacific coast states. In some climates it is considered highly invasive in woodlands and open areas where it aggressively displaces native vegetation by densely smothering large areas of ground with its trailing densely-leaved stems or by climbing into tree canopies via clinging aerial rootlets.
Genus name is the Latin name for ivy.
Specific epithet from Greek means spiral or twisted.
Problems
Aphids, mealybugs, caterpillars, loopers and scale may appear. Watch for leaf spots, canker, bacterial leaf spot, stem rot and powdery mildew. Mites can be significant problem. Climbing vines around homes easily crawl into unintended areas, curl around gutters and damage painted surfaces, loose mortar or aluminum siding if growth is not closely monitored.
Uses
Cover for fences, trellises or walls. Ground cover. Lawn alternative. Smaller-leaved cultivars are often used for topiary shapes, hanging baskets, houseplants or small area ground covers.