English Ivy (Hedera helix)

What we call English-Ivy is native to Europe, especially southeast Europe where it is a shrub with vine-like extensions. It is one of those plants that are romanticised, with people thinking of a cute woody vine (liana) on cottage walls. I think it makes a great houseplant or as annual use outdoors, if one has one of the many cultivars with variegated leaf markings. However, it escapes cultivation in the US in Zones 6 and higher and has become a horrible invasive vine when some birds eat the black fruit of the mature form and spread its seeds around; and big vines weigh down trees. As a groundcover and/or a vine in a yard, it needs constant supervision because it is so happy to grow out-of-bounds and grow into the space of other plants. I don't think it is worth the cost benefit ratio of having a big mass of this plant. Best to keep it all by itself. I've seen it sneak under vinyl siding of buildings when next to a building. The immature form has the beloved leaves of 3 to 5 lobes that are sort of maple-like, but the mature form develops unlobed leaves that resemble Catalpa leaves and it will bear the clusters of the slightly poisonous berry-like black drupes that mature in April-May. Fortunately, for USDA Zones 4 &5, English-Ivy does not grow up real high and change to the mature form.

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This is an invasive plant in Washington. It has escaped cultivation and has established itself in our parks and forests, where it literally strangles mature shrubs and trees. It can, however, be used judiciously if care is taken to prevent unwanted spread. It makes a beautiful accent to outdoor events, woven through trellises and as table decor.

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