English Ivy Benefits & Symbolism

English Ivy is one of the most beautiful trailing plants, familiar for its use in landscaping as a ground cover or climber for covering walls. Its vivid green, heart-shaped leaves are often associated with Christmas greenery decorations, along with holly and pine. With its air of old-world sophistication, this climbing plant is surprisingly easy to grow indoors.

So, what are the benefits of the English ivy plant?

Find out what makes the English Ivy an excellent houseplant in our guide, and learn why you should definitely consider growing one at home.  

About English Ivy Plants

Ivy plants are elegant evergreen vines that can climb up a support or cascade from a tall or hanging pot. English ivy belongs to the Araliaceae family. It originated in Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa, although it is now also widespread in North America. This plant is frost-hardy when mature, growing best in USDA hardiness zones 5-9.

It’s a resilient, low-maintenance plant that is an ideal indoor and outdoor plant, suitable even for beginning gardeners. English ivy is toxic to pets, sometimes causing skin irritation or allergic reaction if rubbed against, and nausea and vomiting if ingested. English ivy, though toxic, is not related to poison ivy, which is a different species native to North America.

Ivies are versatile and highly decorative plants. Some ivy varieties have glossy green leaves, like the Green English Ivy, while others feature variegated foliage, like the English Ivy Glacier.

What are English ivy plants good for? Here are ten benefits that make these graceful vines so appealing:

10 Benefits of English Ivy

English ivy has long been a staple ground cover plant in gardens, but is English ivy good for the house? This hardy vine adapts very well to growing indoors, adding a classically elegant vibe to indoor spaces with its woodland greenery.

1. Low Maintenance: Is English Ivy Easy to Care for?

One of the English ivy indoor benefits is how easy it is to grow as a houseplant. It requires slightly moist but not soggy soil and can thrive in medium light, making it ideal for more dimly lit rooms or locations further from windows.

2. Natural Air-Purifier: Does English Ivy Clean the Air?

English Ivy filters harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs), like xylene, formaldehyde, or benzene. But the English Ivy air purification benefits don’t end here. Ivy is one of the most efficient plants for removing airborne mold spores and other harmful particles in the air. A recent study shows that English Ivy reduces the time it takes for airborne pollutants to be dispersed into the air by 70%, significantly improving air quality.

3. Feng Shui Plant: What Is the Spiritual Meaning of English Ivy?

According to Feng Shui, English ivy can keep negative energy at bay and promote growth and personal development. It’s the perfect plant to place in any area of your home where you need protection and support, and it is often positioned in east-facing directions for good luck.

4. Sound Absorption: Does Ivy Block Sound?

Like other plants with dense leaves, English ivy can help reduce noise levels. If your windows face a busy thoroughfare, a curtain of lush ivy on your home’s walls can help trap and diffuse sound, creating a more peaceful environment indoors.

5. Ivy Symbolism: Makes the Perfect Gift

English ivy symbolism revolves around devotion, friendship, enduring love, and vitality. The way ivy clings to trees made it a poetical image of fidelity in literature and folk tradition, while the fact that it’s an evergreen plant that thrives in the middle of winter made it a popular symbol of eternal life and immortality. One of the benefits of the English ivy plant is its positive symbolism, which makes it a popular gift plant.

6. Aesthetic Appeal & Decorative Properties 

English ivy’s leaves come in lobes of three or five, giving its foliage an airy and delicate look. And since it thrives in medium light, English ivy is ideal for adding graceful greenery to low-light spaces.

7. English Ivy Health Benefits: Does English Ivy Have Medicinal Properties?

Ivy leaf extract is effective for treating cough, bronchitis, and other respiratory issues, according to recent studies. English ivy cannot be brewed as a tea, but has recognized medical benefits when used as a cough syrup, tincture, or extract.

8. Not Difficult to Multiply: Is English Ivy Easy to Propagate?

English ivy is easy to propagate from stem cuttings. It grows tiny rootlets along its vines, which help it climb. When submerged in water or planted in moist soil, it will quickly grow roots from the cut stem.

9. A Trailing Beauty: Greening Up Vertical Spaces

English Ivy is one of the best cascading plants for hanging containers or baskets. Its beautiful, heart-shaped foliage will help you drape an unadorned window or mask a boring stretch of wall or any other vertical space.

10. Outdoor Benefits: Attracts Wildlife & Fights Erosion

Many of the same benefits of growing English ivy indoors apply to growing this beautiful vine in your garden. This fascinating plant is an excellent air-purifier, capturing dust and eliminating mold. English ivy’s flowers and fruit are important sources of food for pollinators and birds, because they appear late in autumn and winter, when other food sources are scarce. When planted on slopes, ivy also helps fight erosion.  

English Ivy Care: How to Keep English Ivy Happy

English ivy is easy to grow and can thrive for decades when provided with the right care. Here’s how to keep it happy and flourishing:

• Watering: English ivy benefits from moderate watering, so that the soil remains slightly moist but never damp. Water with distilled or filtered water to prevent yellowing and dry tips on the leaves.

• Light: This plant is native to woodlands and can grow in medium to low light. Direct sunlight can damage its leaves, however. Multicolored varieties require more light.

• Temperature & humidity: The English ivy plant is tolerant of cooler temperatures, thriving at 60°F-65°F. Misting it will help keep humidity levels right for this plant.

• Soil & feeding: Plant your ivy in well-draining and nutrient-rich soil to help it thrive. Add perlite to aid drainage. Feed your plant once a month with a balanced liquid fertilizer.

• Pruning& repotting: Prune your ivy regularly to keep it in shape; support it with a trellis or stake to enjoy this plant’s cascading vines. Repot your plant into a slightly larger pot once you see roots growing from the drainage holes.

• Common issues: Careful watering is essential, as root rot due to overwatering is the biggest danger to your ivy plant. Spider mites and mealybugs may infest this plant in homes with dry air. Remove them with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol; you can also use neem oil or an organic insecticide.

English Ivy Benefits: FAQs 

Q: Is English ivy the best air purifier?

A: While Dracaena and the Peace Lily are often considered the primary champions of air cleansing, English ivy was found to be one of the most effective plants for removing benzene from indoor air, according to a study conducted by NASA.

Q: What is the medicinal use of English ivy?

A: English ivy is often used in herbal remedies for the treatment of colds, coughs, asthma, and bronchitis, because it helps loosen mucus, reducing swelling and aiding easier breathing. It’s also used as a component in ointments for treating rheumatoid arthritis.

Q: Does English ivy remove mold in the air?

A: English ivy plants are excellent air purifiers, known to remove 78% of mold spores from indoor air.

Q: Is English ivy antibacterial?

A: English ivy contains saponins, which give this plant its antibacterial properties. English ivy is also anti-inflammatory and antifungal.

Q: What are the disadvantages of ivy?

A: There are concerns about English ivy not being a native species in the US. If not regularly pruned, this plant may spread and become invasive when grown outdoors.

Conclusion

English ivy is a gorgeous vine that comes in deep green or variegated varieties. Numerous ivy plant benefits include its low-maintenance requirements, easy propagation, medicinal and aesthetic value, as well as its ability to improve indoor air and reduce noise.

English ivy’s woodland appeal is perfect for adding lovely greenery to dimly lit rooms. Its exceptional ability to reduce mold and other airborne pollutants also makes it an ideal plant for bedrooms and bathrooms.  

Complement your English Ivy by pairing it with Peace Lily and a variety of ferns to create a lush, green oasis indoors.