English ivy is a popular plant, recommended by Cooperative Extension offices for use as a low maintenance alternative to lawns. It is widely used by homeowners, horticulturists, landscape contractors, parks departments and others desiring a fast-growing, low maintenance, evergreen groundcover. Once established at a site, English ivy can be expected to move beyond its intended borders into neighboring yards, parks and other lands, either by vegetative means or by seed. English ivy infests woodlands, forest edges, fields, hedgerows, coastal areas, salt marsh edges, and other upland areas, especially where some soil moisture is present. It does not grow well in extremely wet conditions and is often associated with some form of land disturbance, either human-caused or natural.
New plants grow easily from cuttings or from stems making contact with the soil.
Several effective methods of control are available for English ivy, depending on the extent of the infestation, the amount of desirable native vegetation on-site and available time and labor. Mechancial and Physical. Vines growing as groundcover can be pulled up by hand, with some difficulty, and left on-site or bagged and disposed of as trash. Vines climbing up into the tree canopy are more difficult to manage. First, vines should be cut at a comfortable height to kill upper portions and relieve the tree canopy.