English Ivy

What it looks like

Glossy, dark green, leathery leaves with three to five lobes and pale veins on the creeping form; thick, hairy-looking stems that cling to bark or brick with small rootlets. Once it climbs high and matures, the leaves lose their lobes, and it produces clusters of small greenish flowers and black berries. It stays green all winter, which is when it stands out most against a dormant lawn edge.

Often mistaken for: Boston ivy, wintercreeper (Euonymus), Algerian ivy, or poison ivy on a tree trunk

When it shows up in the Triangle

Evergreen and present year-round, with the fastest growth in spring and early summer. Runners creep into the lawn all season and are easiest to see in winter when everything else is brown.

Where you’ll see it

Old foundation beds, shady slopes, under mature trees, and woods edges across Raleigh's older neighborhoods, where it was planted as groundcover decades ago and has since climbed the trees.

What you can do

• Cut every climbing stem at the base of the tree and again at chest height, then let the top die in place rather than ripping it off the bark
• Pull ground runners when the soil is moist; the roots are shallow but you have to get all of them
• Keep a clean mowed edge between beds and lawn so runners don't root into the turf
• Bag or dry out pulled vines; pieces left on damp ground re-root, so don't compost them
• Plan on repeat passes for two or three seasons; a single cleanup never finishes English ivy
• Wear gloves and long sleeves; the leaves and sap can irritate skin