Gardening Houseplants How to Plant and Grow English Ivy This ever-popular houseplant is easy to grow and gives you lots of choices for leaf shapes and colors. By Nadia Hassani Nadia Hassani Nadia Hassani is a gardening and food writer with more than two decades of hands-on gardening experience in vegetable and fruit gardening, landscaping with native plants, and garden design. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on June 7, 2024 In This Article View All In This Article Where to Plant Care Pests and Problems Propagation Types FAQ Close Photo: Quentin Bacon English ivy is an old-school houseplant that's still trendy thanks to its easy-care nature, elegant look, and versatile stems. A plethora of varieties are available—look for selections with foliage in varying shades of green and marked with silver, white, or chartreuse. There are many leaf shapes, too, so getting just the right look for your home decor is easy. English ivy is toxic to humans and pets so put it high off the ground out of reach for kids and pets. English Ivy Overview Genus Name Hedera helix Common Name English Ivy Plant Type Houseplant Light Part Sun, Sun Height 3 to 8 feet Width 1 to 5 feet Foliage Color Blue/Green, Chartreuse/Gold, Gray/Silver Propagation Stem Cuttings Where to Plant English Ivy English ivy is commonly grown as a houseplant. You can grow this vine in a number of ways in your home. Its trailing stems are perfect for growing in hanging baskets suspended in front of a window or on a shelf. Its pliable stems also make English ivy a classic plant for topiaries, so you can grow it up a moss form to add a touch of elegance to your favorite room. English ivy's low-maintenance character makes it a perfect plant for bright bathrooms, bedrooms, and offices. Despite its cold hardiness, it is recommended to keep English ivy indoors and not plant it in your garden because it is an invasive plant that has spread beyond cultivation. In natural areas it is competing with native plants and spreading into tree canopies. English Ivy Care Tips Light Indoors, grow English ivy in a spot with medium to bright light. The plant tolerates low light, but over time, it tends to get weak and spindly. If you have a low-light spot that's perfect for English ivy, try rotating it with another plant every couple of months to keep it healthy. Soil and Water Plant English ivy in rich, loose potting mix with excellent drainage. English ivy has medium water needs, so it doesn't want to dry out completely, but it also can't stay wet for extended periods, or the roots will rot and die. To develop a watering schedule when you first get English ivy, water it well, then check the soil every few days to see when it needs watering again. Do this a few times, and you'll develop a rhythm for your plant. During the winter, when the plant goes dormant, cut down on the watering and only water sparingly when the top inch of soil feels dry. This Handy Device Will Tell You If You're Over or Under Watering Your Plants, and It's on Sale Temperature and Humidity English ivy does best at room temperature on the cooler end, between 50 and 70 degrees F. The plant is not overly temperature-sensitive, but watch out for drafty spots. If English ivy is exposed to hot or cold drafts, the leaves will brown and crisp prematurely. Keep it away from heating and air-conditioning vents and ill-fitting old doors or windows. Low humidity in heated rooms in the winter can be an issue. A relative humidity of 40 percent (which is about the average indoor humidity) is ideal. In the winter, it helps to place the pot on a tray of wet pebbles, mist the plant when the humidity is low, or use a room humidifier. Fertilizer English ivy does not require much fertilizer. During the growing season from spring through fall, fertilize the plant once a month with a high-nitrogen water-soluble fertilizer, following product label instructions. Pruning To prevent English ivy from growing long and leggy, cut the vines just above a leaf with scissors or pruners. This will encourage bushier growth. Potting and Repotting Choose a pot with large drainage holes because English ivy does not like wet feet. Fill it with well-draining potting mix. Repot when the roots reach the sides of the pot, which can be two to three years, depending on the growth rate. Choose a container one to two inches wider than the current pot and fill it with fresh, well-draining potting mix. Water it well after repotting. Pests and Problems When grown as a houseplant, English ivy is rarely affected by pests and diseases. The most commonly found pests on English ivy indoors are mealybugs, mites, aphids, whiteflies, and scale. Spider mites are attracted to English ivy, but you can help keep these pests at bay by growing your English ivy in a spot with above-average humidity (mites are deterred by humid air) or in cool temperatures (below 70°F). If you are concerned about pests and plant diseases, purchase your plant from a reputable source. How to Propagate English Ivy English ivy is very easy to propagate. Take a 4- to 5-inch cutting with at least 3 to 4 leaf nodes. Remove any bottom leaves and put the cutting in a vase with water. Place it in a sunny window and make sure the cut end is submerged at all times. After a few weeks, roots will form. When the roots are about 1 inch long, plant it in a pot with well-draining potting mix. Types of English Ivy 'Glacier' English Ivy Doug Hetherington Hedera helix ‘Glacier’ is a variegated cultivar with three-prong, gray-green leaves edged in silvery white. 'Needlepoint' English Ivy Dean Schoeppner The distinctive feature of the cultivar Hedera helix 'Needlepoint' are its fine-textured, deeply lobed, rich green leaves. Variegated Algerian Ivy Marty Baldwin Hedera algeriensis is a cousin of English ivy. It comes in different types, including the variegated cultivar 'Gloire de Marengo', which has large, three-prong leaves edged in white. Frequently Asked Questions What does overwatered ivy look like? When ivy gets too much water, the leaves turn brown and dry on the edges, which creates the false impression that it needs even more water. The leaves are turning brown as a result of the plant roots being too wet. Can English ivy grow in a bathroom? If your bathroom has a window that lets partial sunlight in, it is an excellent place to grow English ivy. The plant does best in humid conditions, so a bathroom is ideal. Does English ivy flower? English ivy will flower after 8 to 10 years, but only in ideal conditions. If it does begin to flower, you'll notice umbrella-shaped blossoms that are white and appear in the fall. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources Better Homes & Gardens is committed to using high-quality, reputable sources—including peer-reviewed studies—to support the facts in our articles. Read about our editorial policies and standards to learn more about how we fact check our content for accuracy. "English Ivy." The University of Kansas Health System. "English Ivy." ASPCA. English Ivy. National Invasive Species Information Center, USDA.