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English Ivy (Hedera helix)

Example of approximately what these plants look like when shipped. See the eighth photograph of any plant to see a photo of what it looks like when shipped.
When what you need is a carpet of evergreen color to cover a blank canvas quickly and thoroughly, you will be thrilled with the maintenance-free performance of English Ivy. Ideally suited as a lawn alternative, for coverage beneath large trees, and as a filler on bald spots where grasses refuse to grow, English Ivies are also very popular as climbing vines (roots attach to most surfaces) where they paint buildings, fences, trellises and walls with color creating an instant vintage feeling with the added bonus of reduced cooling costs.

Some love creating topiaries with English Ivy while others adore using them in window planters. No matter the application, English Ivy can be counted on to brighten shady areas with color, tolerate drought, salt and foot traffic, and control erosion on slopes. With this hardy personality, the only thing you have to do is choose between our tried and true varieties offering emerald or variegated color.

See photographs comparing average sizes of some bare roots and potted plants
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Baltic Ivy {Bare Root Plants, min 50}
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A fast-growing evergreen vine with glossy leaves that are unusually dark green with prominent white veins. Adopts a slight eggplant hue in autumn. Mature height 6-12", can climb 30-40 feet.
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English Ivy {Bare Root Plants, min 50}
On Sale!: $0.97
Discount: 38%
The quintessential, glossy-green ivy. Fast-growing, evergreen vine. Emerald foliage with prominent veins. Perfect covering slopes and climbing structures. Mature height 6-12", can climb 30-40 feet.
Temporarily out of stock. Expected 4/1/2025.Email when available
English Ivy {flat of 18 Pots - 3 1/4 in }
1 flat of 18 3 1/2" pots: $89.46 ($4.97 per plant)
The quintessential, glossy-green ivy. Fast-growing, evergreen vine. Emerald foliage with prominent veins. Perfect covering slopes and climbing structures. Mature height 6-12", can climb 30-40 feet.
In stock.
English Ivy {flat of 50 Peat Pots - 2 1/4 in }
1 flat of 50 2.25" peat pots: $123.50 ($2.47 per plant)
The quintessential, glossy-green ivy. Fast-growing, evergreen vine. Emerald foliage with prominent veins. Perfect covering slopes and climbing structures. Mature height 6-12", can climb 30-40 feet.
In stock.

Specifications


General information about Hedera helix:
Hedera ivies are tricky to water properly, especially if planted in summer. See the Care tab for advice about watering and the Shipping tab if you are considering planting them in warm weather.

Hedera ivies tolerate full sun in northern zones (up to zone 6) and require at least partial shade in zones 7 and above.

The word "helix" is derived from the Ancient Greek word for "twist, turn" and refers to spirals in the leaves. Hedera helix plants are also known as Ivy, Common Ivy, or English Ivy and are native to most of Europe and southwest Asia. When there are suitable surfaces (e.g. trees, cliffs, walls), this evergreen climbs up to 100 feet; when there are no vertical surfaces, it grows similarly well as a ground cover. Hedera helix's short rootlets adhere to tree bark and rock, aiding longer climbs.

The leaves are alternate and 1 1/2- to 3-inch long, with 1- to 4-inch long petioles. Hedera offers two different leaf types when she is exposed to full sun locations like the top of a rock face, a southern building façade or the crowns of trees, creating lovely interest. These leaves, palmately lobed juvenile leaves on creeping and climbing stems, and unlobed, cordate, adult leaves on fertile flowering stems, add both texture and variety with juvenile shoots being slender, flexible and willing to climb using tiny roots to attach themselves to surfaces like rock or tree bark and adults shoots that are both thicker and self-supporting with no roots.

In late Autumn, expect small, individual flowers blossoming in 1 to 2 inch greenish-yellow umbels. and in late winter, expect small blackberries that will thrill a variety of birds.

Gardeners love Hedera Ivies because of their uniquely-shaped leaves and their evergreen often variegated foliage that promises to add texture, variety and constant color to their landscape. Famously, Hedera is known for its skill in adorning unsightly walls.

Things to Note
The esthetic, camouflaging of Hedera lands her into a bit of a debate. There has been disagreement as to whether it is harmful to the object being climbed by ivy; the consensus in Europe is that the effect is mostly insignificant. In fact, soundly-mortared walls are generally considered to be impenetrable to ivies’ climbing roots. Those who follow this frame of thinking will argue that walls are actually protected from weathering due to a shield of ivy keeping the elements off mortar. Walls with already weak or loose mortar, however, may be susceptible to damage, as ivy can cause breaks by rooting into the mortar. Subsequent removal of the ivy can be difficult, and is likely to cause more damage than the ivy itself. Modern mortars (that contain Portland cement and a little lime) are stronger than older mixes; the latter were largely composed of sand and lime. Most mortar mixes changed to contain Portland cement in the 1930s, though soft mortar is still used when laying softer brick.

At the same time, when the object is living, such as a tree, both may compete for ground nutrients and water, and trees with heavy growths of ivy are more liable to windthrow, North America sees greater dangers, as trees run the risk of perishing after becoming overworked. This could be due to the difference between native plants and those plants being introduced from other regions. In North America, Hederas lack the natural pests and diseases that control its vigor in native areas. Gardeners will want to consider the potential of this ivy to create a vigorous, dense, shade-tolerant evergreen that can spread over large areas and out-compete native vegetation.



Care
The main reason why we recommend that you do not plant Hedera ivies in the summer is because it is tricky to water enough without over-watering.

You must let the soil dry out between watering, but not so much that the plants die. Stick your finger three inches into the soil, if you feel any moisture at all, do not water them.
In areas where spreading is not desired, trim back the runners before they take root or prune ruthlessly once a year.



Shipping
Unless you know what you're doing, we do not recommend planting any Hedera ivies without a good month to get established before the heat of summer. We strongly recommend that you plant before mid-April or after mid-September (up to May 1 is OK in northern zones). It's tricky to water enough without over-watering (you must let the soil dry out between watering, but no so much that the plants die).

You may order them, but understand that we will not replace or refund should any perish. (more)

You may specify a future ship date when you checkout.
FREE SHIPPING - Classy Groundcovers offers free shipping, and your plants never spend more than three days in transit.

Precise delivery - another benefit from shopping with us is that you know how many days delivery will take and can control exactly when your order will be shipped.

Shipping information that applies to all plants:
- Transit Time For Your Shipment (at most 3 days)
- When We Ship
- You May Specify Your Shipping Date
- Lookup Shipping Date and Tracking Information
- Special Delivery Instructions
- No Shipments To: AK, AZ, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA or internationally
- Changing Your Shipping Date
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