With containment, English ivy, Hedera helix, is a dense and evergreen groundcover. As it matures, it eventually excludes weeds. Containment is very important, though. It grows fast into trees and shrubbery, and clings to buildings. On buildings, it promotes decay of wood siding and ruins paint. As a vine, it is safe only on concrete and cinder block walls.

Juvenile growth of English ivy is mostly rather compact. Ideally, it is less than six inches deep. It gets a bit deeper where shaded. Leaves are as wide as three and a half inches. Stems develop roots where they touch the soil. Adult growth is shrubby, though, and can protrude several feet higher than its support. It blooms and produces small black berries.

‘Hahn’s’ is probably the most popular cultivar of English ivy because it branches so well. ‘Needlepoint’ has elegantly narrow foliar lobes. Cultivars with yellow or white variegation grow notably slower. They are popular as foliar components in big pots of mixed annuals and perennials. Some of the hundreds of cultivars are more popular as houseplants than outside.