Ivy As a Ground Cover

Ivy is a sturdy, adaptable ground cover plant.

Ground covers spread quickly to form a dense mat of low-growing vegetation, adding beauty, reducing the garden workload and protecting soil from erosion. Ivy makes an excellent evergreen ground cover for shady locations in out-of-the-way places, under trees and on north or east-facing slopes. Roots grow deep, and hold soil tightly. The hardiest ivies can tolerate temperatures down to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Functions

Beyond its practical value, ivy adds pattern, texture and color to landscapes and softens stark structural elements. It's effective as ground cover when planted in shady areas under trees or where roots are too close to the surface, underplanted in beds and beneath shrubs or used for erosion control on steep banks or slopes. An advantage of ivy is apparent come fall. It's fine to just leave those deciduous leaves that drift down onto the ivy right where they fall. They will decompose and enrich the soil.

Varieties

Though they are a number of ivy species and countless cultivars, English ivy or Hedera helix is most popular. An evergreen, creeping vine that eventually becomes woody, English ivy grows into a dense mat of dark-green or variegated leaves standing 6 to 8 inches tall. It will also scale buildings, walls and trees, given the chance, firmly attaching itself by aerial roots. The cultivar 'Baltica' is very cold hardy. Persian ivy, Hedera colchica, has oval or heart-shaped leaves 10 inches long and is still more cold hardy. Another good ground cover is Algerian ivy or Hedera canariensis.

Preparation

Ivies grow best in fertile, well-drained soils, so amend your soil thoroughly before planting if there's any doubt about soil quality. Also test your soil to determine nutrient levels. Add slow-release fertilizer as test results dictate along with soil amendments. Add up to 10 bushels of organic matter--compost, shredded leaves or well-rotted manure--per 100 square feet of planting bed, then cultivate to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Also eliminate any perennial weeds or grasses that may compete with young ivy plants as they get established.

Planting

Plant ivy starts in the spring, spacing plants one foot apart--in staggered rows--for complete coverage within a year. For slower, more economical coverage, space plants 18 or 24 inches apart. Plants may grow three feet the first year. Water deeply, weed, feed and mulch during that first year. Add a 2-inch layer of leaf mold as mulch, protect young roots, deter weeds and conserve soil moisture. Weed by hand as needed.

Care

In spring and fall apply a complete, slow-release fertilizer such as 12-4-8 or 15-5-15 at the rate of 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,200 square feet. Fertilize also in summer during the first year. Maintain neatness by trimming edges a few times each year. When the ivy bed stands taller than you'd like it, wait until spring to cut it back with hedge shears. Ivy can become a haven for snails and slugs, so use a nontoxic snail control bait as needed.

References

• Clemson University Extension: Ivy
• Virginia Cooperative Extension: Selecting Landscape Plants - Ground Covers
• University of Florida IFAS Extension: English Ivies to Know and Grow

Resources

• The American Ivy Society