English Ivy, known scientifically as Hedera helix, is a plant of the Old World. Found natively throughout much of Europe it does indeed occupy English soil, but it’s native range extends even into Western Asia (Hedera helix, 2021). Today English Ivy has found a home in many dwellings and gardens worldwide.
Happy Outdoors…Happy Indoors
Your English Ivy plant can be grown in your home or in your landscape. If planted outside, it will tolerate poor soils and drought very well and form an excellent ground cover even under the dense shade of broadleaf trees. Most varieties of English Ivy will survive winter temperatures as low as -20 degrees F (English Ivy, 2021), so in much of America you needn’t be concerned about winter hardiness! It will climb trees if allowed, reaching as high as 90 feet at maturity. Mature vines will produce small flowers and berries, which birds consume.
And although it thrives outside, sometimes English Ivy can be a guest who outstays his welcome! As an outdoor yard plant, it has a reputation for being invasive and hard to eradicate. If you turn your ivy loose in your outdoor garden, do so with careful forethought. You may not be able to remove it!
Indoors, on the other hand, your ivy plant can be a well-behaved addition to your home decoration. Grow it in a fertile, well-draining potting mix, and keep a tight reign watering — this is one plant that doesn’t like to be over-watered. English Ivy is more likely to die from over-watering than from under-watering! You should always allow the top of the soil to dry out significantly between watering periods. So check it daily at first, and also whenever you switch your home from heating to cooling.
Fertilization with houseplant fertilizer (according to directions on the label) should be conducted monthly, but only during the season of active growth (Clemson Cooperative Extension, 2015). Periodic washing of the leaves can help with dust buildup and pest pressure (Rhoades, 2021).
Whether grown in the yard or in the home, English Ivy can add a taste of the Old World to your home or landscape. You will be amply rewarded for the small amount of care and thought you invest in English Ivy!
Sources
Clemson Cooperative Extension: Home and Garden Information Center (2015). Growing English Ivy Indoors. Retrieved 7/18/21 from https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/growing-english-ivy-indoors/
English Ivy (2021). Retrieved 7/18/21 from https://gardening.yardener.com/English-Ivy
Hedera helix. Retrieved 7/18/21 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedera_helix#cite_note-17
Rhoades, H. (2021). Ivy Houseplants — Information on Caring for Ivy Plants. Retrieved 7/18/21 from https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/growing-english-ivy-indoors/