English ivy care guide

English ivy is a classic trailing vine with lobed leaves in green, gray, cream, and gold. It looks lovely spilling from a shelf or a hanging basket. Indoors, it does best in a cool, bright room with humid air.

In British Columbia and much of the Pacific Northwest, English ivy is an invasive plant outdoors. Keep it as a houseplant, and do not dump trimmings in the yard.

Light

Give it bright, indirect light, such as a spot near an east window. It handles medium light, but the vines get long and sparse.

Variegated types need bright light to keep their color. Hot afternoon sun scorches the leaves.

Water

Water when the top 2 to 3 cm (1 in) of soil is dry. Water until it drains, then empty the saucer.

Ivy dislikes both soggy soil and drying out all the way. Yellow leaves with wet soil mean too much water. Crispy brown leaves with dry soil mean too little. Read how to tell if a houseplant is overwatered or underwatered.

Soil and potting

Use a well-draining houseplant mix with some perlite.

Repot every year or two in spring, one size up. See how to repot a houseplant step by step.

Humidity and temperature

Ivy grows best in a cool room, between 10 and 21°C (50 and 70°F). A bright spare room, a cool entry, or a spot near a window in winter suits it.

Warm, dry furnace air is hard on ivy. It browns the leaves and draws spider mites. Keep it away from heat vents, and raise the humidity with a humidifier or a group of plants.

Feeding

Feed monthly in spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer at half strength. Skip fall and winter.

Pruning

Pinch or cut the vine tips often to keep the plant full. Cut just above a leaf. New stems grow from below the cut.

Ivy can be trained over a wire frame or topiary form. Tuck new growth around the frame as it grows.

Propagation

1. Cut a piece of vine 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) long.
2. Pull off the lowest leaves.
3. Set it in water or damp potting mix.
4. Roots grow in two to three weeks.

Put several cuttings in one pot for a full plant.

Problems

What you see	Most likely cause
Speckled, dusty-looking leaves with fine webbing	Spider mites
Brown, crispy leaves	Dry air, dry soil, or a heat vent
Yellow leaves, wet soil	Too much water
Variegated leaves turn green	Not enough light
Long, bare vines	Not enough light, or never trimmed
Brown leaf edges in summer	Too warm or too much sun

Pests

Spider mites are the big one, above all in winter. Look for fine webbing and leaves that look speckled or dusty. Rinse the whole plant in the shower every few weeks. Raise the humidity. Aphids, mealybugs, and scale can also show up.

Read how to get rid of fungus gnats in houseplants if gnats show up in damp soil.

Pet safety

The ASPCA lists English ivy as toxic to cats and dogs. Eating it can cause vomiting, stomach pain, drooling, and diarrhea. The sap can also irritate skin. Hang it out of reach.

Varieties

• ‘Glacier’ has gray-green leaves with cream edges.
• ‘Needlepoint’ has small, pointed leaves.
• ‘Gold Child’ has green leaves with gold edges.
• ‘Ivalace’ has glossy, curled leaf edges.
• ‘Duckfoot’ has small, three-lobed leaves shaped like a duck’s foot.