English Ivy Plants
Hardy Planting Zone- USDA zone 4 through 9
Bloom Season - September through October
Bloom Color - Greenish White or greenish-yellow
Height at Maturity - Typically 20 to 30 feet
Soil Type Preferred- Well-drained rich loams with a neutral to alkaline soil ph.
Sun or Shade - Partial or complete shade
Plant Description
English Ivy, also known as Hedera Helix, is a fast-growing climbing vine.
The woody evergreen perennial typically grows about 6 to 9 inches tall but can reach 100 inches over time. It features deep green leaves measuring up to six inches. The climbing vine has root-like structures that produce glue-like substances that help it adhere to surfaces such as tree barks.
New plants proliferate from stem fragments and cutting that make contact with soil. Dark green 3 to 5 lobed leaves shoot from non-flowering stems. The plant is adventitious roots during the juvenile stage and produces leaves and flowers in vertical growth. English Ivy is vegetative in flat growth-producing juvenile leaves. It uses aerial rootlets to climb and spread.
Hedera Helix is a suitable ground cover. It grows best in partial as well as complete shade. That makes it ideal for planting under trees where grass can't grow. It also has dense growth, effective for crowding weed in your grade. It is common in forests and steep slopes. It becomes shrubby during the adult stage and produces greenish-white flowers and blue blackberries during fall.
Green Ivy prefers loam soil with excellent drainage. Overly wet soil will not support optimum growth as required. The leaves will maintain a dark green with inconsistent temperatures, typically between 45 and 80 degrees. It will not grow well in high summer heat or cold winter wind. This shade-loving and evergreen plant best grows in fertile soils. Most homeowners endear it due to its low maintenance and hardy qualities, which are ideal for ground cover and fences.