How to Grow English Ivy Indoors, a Low-Maintenance, Elegant Vining Plant

If you’re looking to grow English ivy (Hedera helix), you’re in luck, as this evergreen climbing vine is a vigorous and versatile houseplant to add to your collection. And its intricately shaped leaves and elegant tendrils make it a nice fit for any style of home décor. Though its leaf size and shape can vary widely, English ivy is recognizable for its lobed, star-shaped foliage in variegated shades of green, cream, white, and yellow, with visible veins extending out to the edges. In some varieties, the leaves can be rounded, crested, or even long and skinny.

Ahead, experts explain how to grow and care for English ivy indoors, including common problems and how to troubleshoot them.

English Ivy Care

Generally, English ivy is so fast-growing and forgiving that your main challenge will be keeping its growth in check. Still, these best care practices will ensure that it thrives.

Light

English ivy tolerates a wide range of lighting conditions, but it prefers bright, indirect light, or partial and even full shade. "It grows best near an east- or west-facing window where it casts a medium to strong shadow throughout the day," says Justin Hancock, a Costa Farms horticulturist and co-host of the Costa Farms podcast Plant Rx.

Soil

Your English ivy houseplant will grow well in any potting mix made for indoor plants, especially if it’s loose and drains well.

Water

English ivy prefers moist, well-drained (never soggy) soil, so water it thoroughly every week and let the top two inches of soil dry between waterings. "It’s better to keep it a little too dry than too wet if you’re unsure," Hancock says. You know you’re overwatering if the leaves dry up and get crispy; you may be under-watering if healthy-looking leaves start dropping. 

Fertilizer

Feed your English ivy with a nitrogen-rich houseplant fertilizer (look for one with a high N-value) every 4 to 6 weeks in spring and summer, when it’s most actively growing. "A light feeding will provide the necessary nutrients for robust growth," says Tony O’Neill, gardening expert and author of several gardening books. Skip fertilizer during the winter months, when English ivy is growing slowly, to avoid burn damage to the roots.

How to Prune English Ivy

Use clean gardening shears to prune back your English ivy. You’ll want to prune English ivy regularly to control growth and remove dead or damaged leaves, which helps to maintain its shape and discourage bacterial growth. You can either cut the plant back with clean clippers or simply snap or pinch the vine just above a leaf. You can use the cuttings to propagate new ivy plants.

How to Propagate English Ivy 

English ivy naturally produces roots from the stems as it climbs, so it’s pretty easy to root from cuttings. There are two ways you can propagate your English ivy.

From Cuttings

1. Snip off a piece 4 to 6 inches long, remove the lower leaves, and place it in water or a small planter with a moist potting mix. "With good light, moist soil, and good relative humidity levels, it should root pretty readily," Hancock says.
2. Once roots develop, transfer it to a pot (if it’s been in water) with loose, well-drained potting mix.

From the Mother Plant

1. Keeping it attached to the mother plant, place a stem of ivy atop moist potting soil.
2. Removing the leaves on the section that touches the soil.
3. Then, just barely cover the stem with soil.
4. Once it’s fully rooted, cut the stem off the mother plant, and your new baby ivy is ready to grow solo.

How to Repot English Ivy

Here's how to successfully repot your English ivy plant:

1. Tap the sides of the existing pot to loosen the rootball.
2. Ease it out and transfer it to a container that’s one inch wider than the ball.
3. Add fresh potting mix at the bottom and around the sides.

For best results, consider repotting small English ivy plants every year and large plants every two years. To see if it needs repotting, slip the plant out of its vessel and look at the ratio of rootball to soil—if it’s 75 percent roots to 25 percent soil, it’s ready for a bigger home, Hancock says. Other signs are slower-than-usual drainage and roots creeping out the drainage holes.

The better the growing conditions, the faster it will grow and need repotting. English ivy varieties with silver, white, or yellow on the leaves may grow more slowly because there’s less chlorophyll.

Types of English Ivy

English ivy has been heavily hybridized or crossbred, so while there are some 15 species of ivy plants, English ivy alone has hundreds of varieties, Hancock says. English ivy, Persian ivy, and Algerian ivy are the most common. But other types make great houseplants as well—and show the different looks you’ll find within the English ivy clan.

• Asterisk ivy (Hedera helix Asterisk) has small, dark green leaves in the shape of a fine star or asterisk, with five to eight points and woody stems. It tends to grow wide before it climbs. 
• California Fan ivy (Hedera helix California Fan) has crinkled leaves that resemble hand fans.
• Curly Locks ivy (Hedera helix Curly Locks) has star-shaped leaves with curly edges, giving the plant a different texture than other ivy varieties.
• Design ivy (Hedera helix Design) has dark green leaves with gray shading at the center.
• Glacier ivy (Hedera helix Glacier) has the traditional ivy leaf shape but with irregular silvery-gray or creamy edges.
• Gold Dust ivy (Hedera helix Gold Dust) has leaves heavily flecked with cream and light green, along with vibrant red stems.
• Spearpoint ivy (Hedera helix Spearpoint) has long, narrow, dark green leaves that can be lobed at the base.
• Starling ivy (Hedera helix Starling) has leaves that are deeply lobed and come to three long points, giving it the look of a bird’s foot.
• Yellow Ripple ivy (Hedera helix Yellow Ripple) has gray-green leaves with striking golden-yellow edges.

Common Problems

Even this low-maintenance plant has its problems. Here are the issues and houseplant pests to watch out for.

Invasiveness

Invasiveness is the number one problem with English ivy, as it grows vigorously and lays down such tenacious roots along its stems. "I’ve seen areas of the Pacific Northwest where escaped Ivy completely suffocated entire trees," Hancock says. Prevent the problem by keeping your English Ivy indoors—and be careful not to add clippings to your compost pile.

Pests

Common pests include aphids, mealybugs, and, most frequently, spider mites. "These tiny arachnids feed from the leaves, creating the appearance of tiny pinpricks," Hancock says. "Their calling card is fine webbing on the leaves or stems, particularly the undersides of the leaves." Hose down the plant—tops and bottoms of leaves—with lukewarm water and then treat it with a miticide or neem oil. Do it weekly for a month or two, to target both the adults and the eggs as they hatch.

Bacterial and Fungal Infections

Watch out for bacterial and fungal infections. With bacterial infections, you’ll see brown or black spots on the leaves. It spreads via wet foliage, so keeping the leaves dry—by watering only in the morning or afternoon—is one way to help prevent this. If you see bacterial infections, Hancock advises removing affected stems and discarding them.

Fungal diseases will cause yellow or black spotting or wilting of the leaves. Try to keep the foliage dry and consider using a fungicide (usually a spray but also available as a drench—mix with water and pour on the soil) to prevent any fungus from spreading further or onto other ivy plants.