Native Plants

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Thursday - August 17, 2006

From: Nottingham, MD
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Suggestions for alternatives to invasive, non-native English ivy
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Can English ivy be planted in a pot, kept oudoors, and expected to endure our Maryland winters?

ANSWER:

English ivy (Hedera helix) is native to Europe, western Asia and northern Africa and is considered invasive in at least 18 U. S. states. We are not enthusiastic about giving advice to propagate non-natives given that: "The mission of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants, and landscapes." Nonetheless, English ivy is very cold hardy and would probably survive Maryland winters in a pot outdoors; and, it would probably do no harm as long as you were careful to remove any blossoms and/or seeds and kept it where none of the foliage could come in contact with the ground to take root.