Common ivy

Common ivy: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Evergreen climber reaching 20–30 m, or creeping over the ground as ground cover. At the top it forms bushy, flowering shoots without aerial roots.

Leaf

Alternate, leathery and glossy dark green; 3–5-lobed on climbing stems, diamond-shaped and unlobed on the flowering shoots at the top.

Stems

Stems with countless short aerial roots that it uses to cling on.

Flower

Rounded umbels of small yellowish-green flowers in September–November: a late nectar feast for insects.

Fruit

Bluish-black berries in late winter; poisonous to people, loved by birds.

Difference from Virginia creeper

Virginia creeper loses its leaves and turns bright red in autumn.

Flowering: September–November · Pruning: March–April and August–September

Identify by feature: Black berries · Aerial roots and sucker pads

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Virginia creeper Parthenocissus: loses its leaves and turns bright red in autumn. Difference from Virginia creeper

Why grow it?

• Evergreen: a green wall or fence all year round.
• Grows in sun, partial shade and deep shade, on any soil.
• Late flowers for insects, berries for birds in late winter and dense nesting sites.
• Climbs without support: no wires or trellis needed.
• Excellent ground cover under trees, where little else will grow.

Common ivy: where does it grow best?

• Sun, partial shade or deep shade; on a sunny wall the leaves may scorch brown in harsh winters.
• Any soil, dry or moist.
• It climbs with aerial roots and needs no support. On a sound wall with firm mortar it does no harm; in crumbling joints or loose render, the roots widen the cracks.
• Keep it away from gutters, roof tiles, timber cladding and window frames, or cut it back there every year.

Light

Sun to shade

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Dry to wet

Size

20 m tall, 3 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Holly: Another native evergreen for shade. The holly blue lays its eggs on holly in spring and on ivy in summer.
• Lesser periwinkle: Together an evergreen ground cover under trees, with blue flowers in spring.
• English oak: Ivy in an old oak provides extra nesting sites and winter food for birds.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Can climb into old, large trees: english oak, scots pine, sycamore, large-leaved lime

Common ivy: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant in autumn or spring; from a pot almost all year, except in frost or drought.
2. Plant 30–50 cm from the wall and lean the shoots against the wall or a small cane.
3. In the first year it grows slowly: keep the soil moist until it has rooted.
4. As ground cover: plant every 30–40 cm and weed until the soil is covered.

Care

Watering

In dry spells during the first year; after that it rarely needs water.

Feeding

Not needed; a little compost if it is slow to get going.

Upkeep

Twice a year, cut away shoots around windows, gutters, roof tiles and joints.

Flowers and berries

Leave the flowering shoots at the top: they carry the flowers for insects and the berries for birds.

Tip: Be patient: as the saying goes, the first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps and the third year it leaps. After that it grows fast.

Common ivy: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March–April and August–September.

When: In March–April or in late summer (August–September). Check first for nesting birds: they start as early as March.

How:

• Keep gutters, windows and joints clear; cut back hard where it isn’t wanted.
• Trim an ivy-clad wall every year, so it doesn’t get too thick and heavy.
• It’s fine to let ivy grow in a healthy tree: there is no need to cut it out.

Caution: First check that no birds are nesting: blackbirds and wrens nest in ivy from March onwards. Wear gloves: the sap can irritate the skin.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cuttings

Cuttings of climbing shoots root easily, in summer or autumn, in a small pot or straight into the ground.

Layering

Creeping shoots root by themselves: dig up a rooted shoot and replant it.

Tree ivy

A cutting taken from a flowering shoot at the top gives a non-climbing shrublet that does flower and bear berries.

Common ivy: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Fully hardy and evergreen.
• The berries ripen in late winter, when food is scarce: woodpigeons, blackbirds, thrushes and blackcaps love them.
• Leaves that turn brown in hard frost on a sunny wall are replaced in spring.

Diseases and pests

• Leaf spot: Brown to black spots with a yellow edge, especially in wet summers; a bacterium. Cut out affected shoots.
• Scale insects: Small brown scales on stems and leaves, especially in sheltered, dry spots. Cut out the worst shoots; parasitic wasps and ladybirds do the rest.
• Roots in joints: Aerial roots in crumbling mortar or render. Cut the stems at the base, let them die off for a few weeks, then pull them away, brush off the remains and repoint.

Through the year

• February: The berries ripen: food for blackbirds, thrushes and woodpigeons.
• March: Pruning, as long as no birds are nesting; planting.
• April: Pruning, after checking for nests; the last berries.
• May: Nesting season: leave the ivy alone.
• August: Late-summer pruning: clear gutters, windows and joints.
• September: Last pruning; flowering begins.
• October: Flowering: ivy bees, wasps and butterflies on the flowers.
• November: Last flowers; planting.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

Evergreen cover for walls, fences and shady corners; also as ground cover.

For wildlife

A top plant: late flowers for insects, berries for birds in winter and dense nesting sites.

Caution: The berries and leaves are poisonous; the sap can irritate the skin.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Birds

Berries, seeds or insects as food, or a place to nest.

Hoverflies

Open flowers for hoverflies; many of their larvae eat aphids.

Butterflies

Nectar for butterflies.

Moths

Nectar for moths, often from flowers that are scented in the evening.

Did you know?

• Ivy is not a parasite: it only uses a tree for support and does no harm to a healthy tree.
• The ivy bee only flies in September–October and collects pollen almost exclusively from ivy flowers.
• Brimstone butterflies often spend the winter among the evergreen leaves of ivy.
• The ivy bee, a wild bee that collects pollen almost exclusively from ivy, has been spreading through Belgium and the Netherlands in recent decades.
• In antiquity, ivy was sacred to Bacchus, the god of wine, who is often depicted wearing a wreath of ivy leaves.