English Ivy

Looking for a low-maintenance plant solution that provides green color all year-long? In the right climates, evergreen English Ivy (Hedera helix) brings an incomparable look to your landscape.

This is the classic Ivy that stays deep green through winter and is a strong growing, trailing variety that's great for baskets, containers, or as a groundcover.

For hundreds of years, these instantly recognizable trailing vines have graced wedding bouquets and created the glorious vine-cover walls on historic buildings on Ivy League campuses. English Ivy covers the ground to suppress weeds under magnificent Southern Live Oaks and D.D. Blanchard Magnolias in the South.

English Ivy is widely used by homeowners, horticulturists, landscape contractors and others desiring a fast growing, low maintenance, evergreen cover. You'll appreciate these handsome vines that bring such a sophisticated look to your landscape.

Use them as a groundcover or as a vine. They make very low-maintenance lawn alternatives.

The easily recognizable fan-shaped leaves are alternate, growing along each side of the vine. This gives you a lush look quickly.

Plants have dense growth and abundant leaves which form a thick canopy just above the ground. As you can imagine, they'll prevent sunlight from reaching other plants. They make perfectly poised weed suppression!

English Ivy will also happily hide unsightly retaining walls, and screen your outdoor dining room. Tiny adventitious root hairs will cling to brick, cement, wood and other surfaces without the need for training.

Now, as you might have heard, English Ivy cannot be shipped to all areas of the country, as it performs "too well" in certain climates. Nature Hills uses Plant Sentry to protect local ecosystems. We block shipments to abide by all federal, state and local plant regulations.

Where it can be grown safely, there is nothing like the charm and grace of beautiful English Ivy. This ornamental plant will beautify your landscape, but should be used appropriately.

Our expert growers carefully pack and ship high quality plant materials to your doorstep. There is nothing easier!

How to Use English Ivy in the Landscape

Use English Ivy to block out weeds and cover bare spots in the garden. It will naturalize on slopes and quickly cover that unsightly bare patch around a tree or shrub.

Use as a "Spiller" to soften the look of outdoor garden containers. It can also be grown indoors as a houseplant. According to NASA's Clean Air Study, it helps clean your air from volatile organic chemicals and mold.

Replace turf lawns with Ivy by planting rows over prepared ground. Space plants 30 inches apart in the row. Space rows 5 - 10 feet apart (go closer for faster results). Keep the plantings weeded, and lightly mulch between the plants.

If you have a retaining wall on your property, consider yourself lucky! You can create the most amazing living green walls with help from this verdant plant. Aerial rootlets grab hold quickly and spread tall and wide.

Grow English Ivy to cover a hum-drum chain link fence that runs through areas of both sun or shade. You'll turn your eyesore into a feature.

Cover a tall, triangular "tuteur" garden ornament with a few plants around the base. In no time, you'll have an easy-care landscape focal point that stays green and lush all year.

Use English Ivy at the base of a pergola to create a personal retreat for yourself, family and friends. You'll love having outdoor dinner parties in a cool, green, shaded private space.

Even apartment dwellers can get fast privacy with English Ivy. It takes a "do-it-yourself" project, but the results are so worth it!

"Plant" a large wooden trellis panel using a series of large garden containers along your deck or balcony. Position the containers several feet of space away from any structure, and keep your landlord happy by trimming back encroaching growth regularly.

Make your trellis sturdy by first burying a long length of rot-proof PVC pipe into the potting soil of each container. Next, place a vertical wooden support post into the PVC pipe. Anchor them in place with quick-setting cement poured into the open end of the pipe.

Next, nail your trellis panel to the support posts. Finally, plant English Ivy at the base of each support. Keep the containers watered regularly.

Presto! An instant, glamorous, green privacy wall. You'll be so proud!

#ProPlantTips for Care

Ivies prefer to grow in rich, well-drained soil, but will tolerate either full sun or partial shade.

Keep it thriving with a regular schedule of medium water. Mulch in the coldest USDA growing zones to protect against winter damage.

Watch the spread of your English Ivy, and trim up the edges with a pair of garden shears at any time. Rejuvenate your vine periodically by pruning out woody stems back to a bud. You'll have a flush of green new growth from that point.

Keep English Ivy kept as a houseplant watered with a regular schedule. Give them bright light and enjoy their cheery style.

Requiring little care and less water, English Ivy looks great spilling over planter boxes, down rock walls or tumbling over the ground around a feature in your yard.

Enter your Zip Code above the Plant Highlights and click submit. If we can safely ship to you, buy your English Ivy from Nature Hills today!