Create Your Garden

Native Plant Alternatives to Hedera helix (English Ivy)

Native Plants, Invasive Plants, Hedera helix, English Ivy, Common Ivy, European Ivy, Ivy

Hedera helix, also known as English ivy, is considered an invasive species in many parts of the world, including parts of the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Native to Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa, it has been widely introduced as an ornamental plant due to its attractive, evergreen foliage and its adaptability to a range of growing conditions.

English ivy is a vigorous grower and can quickly form dense coverings over the ground and up trees, buildings, and other structures. It outcompetes native vegetation by shading it out, and when it grows up trees, it can cause them to become unstable and more likely to fall in a storm. It also creates a refuge for pests like rats and can contribute to increased fire risk due to its evergreen nature and the high volume of dead material it generates.

English Ivy is listed in the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.

According to the U.S Forest Service, Invasive species have contributed to the decline of 42% of U.S. endangered and threatened species and 18% of U.S. endangered or threatened species. Invasive species compete directly with native species for moisture, sunlight, nutrients, and space. They displace and alter native plant communities, degrade wildlife habitat and water quality, and potentially lead to increased soil erosion.

The federal government has estimated that nearly 25 percent of the 20,000 plant species native to North America are at risk of extinction, many of these through habitat loss. You can help reverse this trend by planting great native plants in your garden.

A plant is considered native if it occurs naturally in a particular region or ecosystem without human introduction. There are many benefits to growing native plants. First, these plants are better adapted to soils, moisture, and weather than exotic plants that evolved in other parts of the world. They need fewer fertilizers and pesticides or use less water. Second, they are unlikely to escape and become invasive, destroying natural habitats. Third, they support wildlife, providing shelter and food for native birds and insects, while exotic plants do not.

Guide Information

Hardiness 5 - 11
Heat Zones 6 - 12
Plant Type Climbers, Perennials
Genus Hedera
Exposure Partial Sun, Shade
Season of Interest Spring (Early, Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall, Winter
Native Plants United States

U.S. Native Plant Alternatives to Hedera helix (English Ivy)

Antennaria plantaginifolia (Pussytoes)
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Bearberry)
Asarum canadense (Canada Wild Ginger)
Asarum caudatum (Western Wild Ginger)
Asarum hartwegii (Sierra Wild Winger)
Bignonia capreolata (Cross Vine)
Chrysogonum virginianum (Green And Gold)
Dryopteris carthusiana (Spinulose Wood Fern)
Dryopteris expansa (Spreading Wood Fern)
Dryopteris filix-mas (Male Fern)
Dryopteris goldieana (Giant Wood Fern)
Dryopteris ludoviciana (Southern Wood Fern)
Erigeron pulchellus (Robin’s Plantain)
Eurybia macrophylla (Bigleaf Aster)
Galax urceolata (Beetleweed)
Gaultheria shallon (Shallon)
Gelsemium sempervirens (Carolina Jessamine)
Glandularia canadensis (Rose Vervain)
Iris cristata (Dwarf Crested Iris)
Mahonia nervosa (Cascade Mahonia)
Mahonia repens (Creeping Mahonia)
Mertensia virginica (Virginian Bluebells)
Mitchella repens (Partridge Berry)
Pachysandra procumbens (Allegheny Spurge)
Packera aurea (Golden Ragwort)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia Creeper)
Phlox divaricata (Woodland Phlox)
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas Fern)
Sedum ternatum (Wild Stonecrop)
Sisyrinchium angustifolium (Blue-Eyed Grass)
Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed)
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium (Aromatic Aster)
Vancouveria hexandra (White Inside-Out-Flower)
Waldsteinia fragarioides (Barren Strawberry)
Baccharis pilularis (Coyote Bush)

 

 

More on Gardenia

Native Plant Alternatives to Tamarix ramosissima (Tamarisk)
Native Plant Alternatives to Ulmus parvifolia (Chinese Elm)
Native Plant Alternatives to Buddleja davidii (Butterfly Bush)
Native Plant Alternatives to Crataegus monogyna (Common Hawthorn)
Native Plant Alternatives to Euonymus fortunei (Wintercreeper)
Native Plant Alternatives to Ficus carica (Fig)

Discover more beautiful native plants

Native Plants

Plant Finder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Compare All Hedera (Ivy)
Compare Now
Guides with
Hedera (Ivy)
Guides with
United States
While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.

Guide Information

Hardiness 5 - 11
Heat Zones 6 - 12
Plant Type Climbers, Perennials
Genus Hedera
Exposure Partial Sun, Shade
Season of Interest Spring (Early, Mid, Late), Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall, Winter
Native Plants United States
Compare All Hedera (Ivy)
Compare Now
Guides with
Hedera (Ivy)
Guides with
United States

Related Items

Please Login to Proceed

You Have Reached The Free Limit, Please Subscribe to Proceed

Subscribe to Gardenia

To create additional collections, you must be a paid member of Gardenia
  • Add as many plants as you wish
  • Create and save up to 25 garden collections
Become a Member

Plant Added Successfully

You have Reached Your Limit

To add more plants, you must be a paid member of our site Become a Member

Update Your Credit
Card Information

Cancel

Create a New Collection

Sign Up to Our Newsletter

    You have been subscribed successfully

    Join Gardenia.net

    Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.

    Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.

    Join now and start creating your dream garden!

    Join Gardenia.net

    Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.

    Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.

    Join now and start creating your dream garden!

    Find your Hardiness Zone

    Find your Heat Zone

    Find your Climate Zone