ENGLISH IVY – BEAUTY OR BEAST?

HORTICULTURE TOPIC: English Ivy – Beauty or Beast?

English ivy, Hedera helix, is a popular evergreen ground cover for the shade and grows almost anywhere. It is a climbing or creeping plant with a woody stem, and can reach up to 100 feet with the aid of its aerial roots on the undersides of the shoots. Dark glossy evergreen alternate leaves are triangular, three to five lobed. In some areas, yellow-green flowers produce bitter black berries, which ripen the following year.

These plants are useful as well as attractive. Unsightly views can be hidden by growing English ivy as a screen on a trellis or unattractive structure. The vines also make an ideal ground cover under a tree where grass refuses to grow. However, it can completely enshroud the trunk and main limbs and shade out so many leaves that the tree dies due to lack of photosynthesis.

English ivy is both beauty and beast. Although it is invasive, it can be beautiful if it is contained and restrained.