Climber or ground cover
How to grow ivy (and keep it under control)
Hedera helix / H. colchica
Ivy grows in any UK soil and in anything from full sun to deep shade, as a self-clinging climber or as evergreen ground cover. Plant pot-grown ivy whenever the ground is workable, with the stems laid against the base of the wall so the new growth can grip. Growing it is the easy part. What matters is cutting it back hard every February or March, before birds nest, and keeping it out of gutters, roofs and weak mortar.
- Hardiness
- Fully hardy
- Position
- Sun to deep shade
- Soil
- Most soils, including dry shade
- Ideal pH
- 6.0 to 7.5
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- Light feeder
Sowing and planting
WhenPlant any time; flowers Sep to Nov on mature growth; cut back Feb to Mar
Starting off
Plant pot-grown stock any month the ground is not frozen or dry, with the stems pegged flat on the soil at first so the aerial roots find the wall. Propagate by 10 cm semi-ripe cuttings of juvenile climbing growth in Jul to Sep in gritty compost, rooting in 4 to 6 weeks; or peg a trailing stem to the soil in Apr and lift the rooted piece in Oct. Cuttings from the adult, flowering growth make non-climbing 'tree ivy' shrubs.
Spacing and planting
H. helix climbs to 20 to 30 m on a tree or wall; H. colchica 'Dentata Variegata' and 'Sulphur Heart' to 5 m; as ground cover H. helix 'Glacier' or 'Goldheart' covers 1 to 2 square metres per plant. Plant climbers 60 to 90 cm apart and 30 cm out from a wall; ground cover at 45 to 60 cm spacing (4 per square metre), closing in 2 years. Small-leaved H. helix cultivars are excellent in a 25 to 30 cm pot or window box, trailing.
Varieties worth growing
- H. helix 'Glacier'
- Small grey-green leaves marbled silver and edged cream; neat ground cover and a good trailer for pots and window boxes.
- H. helix 'Goldchild'
- Small leaves broadly edged in yellow; slow and compact, for containers and low walls.
- H. colchica 'Sulphur Heart'
- Very large leaves splashed gold in the centre; quick cover for a big fence or north wall, to about 5 m.
- H. colchica 'Dentata Variegata'
- Large leaves edged cream, less rampant than 'Sulphur Heart' and bright in shade as a climber or ground cover.
- H. hibernica (Irish ivy)
- Plain dark green, large-leaved and fast; the standard choice for covering bare ground under trees.
Month by month
Timings are for central England. Allow two weeks later in the north and on cold, heavy soil.
- January
Nothing to do. Berries are ripening for the birds.
- February
Start the annual cut: shear wall ivy back close and clear it from gutters, windows and eaves.
- March
Finish cutting back early in the month, before birds nest. Trim ground cover to 10 cm if it has become deep and woody. Plant.
- April
Plant. Peg trailing stems to the soil to root. Trim off winter-browned leaves.
- May
Check for nests before touching wall ivy. Cut out plain green shoots on variegated plants.
- June
Water ivy planted this year in dry spells. Clip stray shoots at ground level.
- July
Semi-ripe cuttings of young climbing growth.
- August
Cuttings. Hose down ivy on hot walls if the leaves look dull and speckled.
- September
Last cuttings. Mature ivy starts to flower; leave it for the bees, wasps and hoverflies.
- October
Lift rooted layers and plant them out. Good planting month.
- November
Pull back any shoots heading under roof tiles or into window frames.
- December
Nothing to do. Cut a few berried stems for the house.
Feeding
Ivy in the ground needs no fertiliser, and feeding only makes more to cut back. A little help at planting in poor, dry shade and a light seaweed feed for pots is all it wants.
Low, thrives almost anywhere with little feeding.
Feeding plan
Planting
5 g per litre of root ball on the roots: 5 g for a 1 litre pot, 10 g for a 2 litre pot. Most useful in dry soil under trees and at the foot of walls.
Every year, established ivy in the ground
No fertiliser
None.
March, thin ground cover in dry shade, after trimming
50 g/m², the bottom of the label range, scattered over the trimmed stems once and watered in.
Potting
5 ml per litre of compost: 60 ml (4 tablespoons) for a 30 cm pot of about 12 litres.
April to August, pots and window boxes
1 g per litre of water every 3 weeks in place of a normal watering.
Signs to watch
Variegated types turning plain green → shade or reversion, not a deficiency → more light and cut out green shoots at the base. Yellow leaves overall on a potted ivy in Jul → nitrogen exhausted by heavy watering → a light top-dress of the dry feed in the feeding plan, watered in. Brown, crisp leaves in Feb on a north wall → frost and drying wind, which variegated and H. canariensis types suffer, not hunger → trim off in Apr. Old
Pests, diseases and problems
Brown or black spots on the leaves, sometimes with a yellow halo
Ivy leaf spot, fungal or bacterial, worst in wet weather and dense growth
Clip off affected growth and bin it. The annual hard cut in late winter removes most of it and lets air in.
Leaves sticky and blackened with sooty mould, small brown or yellowish scales beneath
Scale insects
Cut back hard in February to March and bin the clippings; healthy regrowth usually outpaces what is left.
Leaves dull, finely speckled and bronzed on a hot, dry wall
Red spider mite
Hose the foliage down forcefully in dry spells and water the base. Trim off the worst growth.
A newly planted ivy sits at the foot of the wall and will not climb
Only new growth clings; existing stems never re-attach, and smooth or painted surfaces give little grip
Lay the stems along the soil at the base of the wall and pin them down. Shoots that arise from them will attach themselves, usually in the second year.
A sheet of ivy peels away from the wall in wind
Years of bushy, top-heavy adult growth pulling on old stems
Cut the detached section off; it cannot be put back. Shearing back to 10 to 15 cm from the wall each year prevents it.
Pruning
Pruning and care
Cut back hard in Feb to Mar, before the birds nest, shearing wall ivy back to 10 to 15 cm from the wall to stop it growing under gutters and roof tiles; cut the climbing stems at 1.5 m on fences and keep it off rendered or lime-mortared walls, where the aerial roots damage the surface. Trim ground cover to 10 cm in Mar every 2 to 3 years. On sound brick it does no harm and insulates. Renovates to the bare
Good to knowSelf-clinging evergreen for shade and walls; late nectar and berries for wildlife. Cut back to control.
Growing in pots
Small-leaved forms of H. helix are among the most useful evergreens for pots, window boxes and winter baskets, trailing over the edge or trained on a frame. A 25 to 30 cm pot of any multipurpose or loam-based compost will do. Water when the surface is dry; ivy in a pot is far less drought-proof than ivy in the ground, and a dry pot against a warm wall invites red spider mite. Trim to shape in spring and repot every 2 to 3 years. The large-leaved H. colchica kinds need the open ground.
Common questions
Does ivy damage walls?
Not if the wall is sound: on solid brick or stone with good mortar, ivy clings to the surface and does no structural harm. It can damage old walls with cracks or crumbling mortar, paint and loose finishes come away when it is pulled off, and it causes real trouble once it gets under tiles, into gutters or round window frames. Cut it back every year.
Does ivy kill trees?
No, ivy is not a parasite and a healthy tree is not harmed by ivy on its trunk. It uses the tree only for support. It becomes a problem when it fills the crown of an old or weak tree, where it adds weight and catches the wind, and it can hide decay from view.
How do I get rid of ivy?
On a tree, cut every stem through near the ground and dig out the woody stump; the top growth can be left to die. On a wall, peel the outer stems off first and work inwards, cutting the main stems from their roots last, because ivy severed early can root into the wall higher up, then dig out the stump. Cut regrowth to the ground as it appears; an old stump can take a long time to give up.
Sources
Growing information on this page was checked against these references in November 2026. Feeding rates are Dr Forest label rates.