English ivy
Hedera helix
RHS Plants for Pollinators
USDA zones4 to 9
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles moderate to wet soil
Size20 to 80 feet tall3 to 50 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Habit
- Ascending
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Bloom color
- Greenish white
- Foliage color
- Green, variegated, white
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
English ivy (Hedera helix) is a vine for ground cover, containers, borders, and low maintenance gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and average to wet soil of most types. It is evergreen, grows fast, and tolerates drought and salt. Deer and rabbits usually look elsewhere for a meal. Bees and birds visit it, so give it room to spread.
Pairs well with Burning bush, Smoketree, and Wild ginger.
Native range
Europe, Central Asia, Baleares, Corse, and 6 more places. See all 10
Europe, Central Asia, Baleares, Corse, East Aegean Is., Kriti, NW. Balkan Pen., Sardegna, Sicilia, and Türkiye.