5 Ivy Houseplant Types that Every Plant Lover Must Grow

Ivy can grow almost anywhere: in parks, around office buildings, in front yards, and all over college campuses. Ivy looks great when it fills in a garden or grows up a wall outside, but many types of this hardy vine can also be grown indoors. These ivy houseplant types have been bred to grow more closely together, have smaller leaves that are closer together, and have different colors or leaf shapes. 

Ivy plants are very hardy and can grow in full sun, partial shade, or even full shade. This is because they grow quickly and can spread to other areas (although the coloring of variegated species will fade without sufficient light). They like to dry out between waterings, so they can do well even when there isn’t much water. Many ivies are also evergreen, meaning their lush leaves stay on them all year. Read on to learn about our 5 favorite ivy houseplant types to grow, whether you want a hardy plant for your garden or a compact, trailing one for your home.

 5 Ivy Houseplant Types for Every Garden

(1) Glacier Ivy

Basic Information on Glacier Ivy

• Botanical Name: Hedera helix ‘Glacier’
• Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect light
• Soil Type: Well-draining potting soil
• Soil pH: 6.1 to 6.5

Tips for Growing Glacier Ivy

Glacier ivy is one of the popular ivy houseplant types bred to grow well indoors. But it can also be planted outside as a ground cover, where its green and cream colors can serve as a backdrop for plants and flowers with brighter colors.

Even though this plant can live outside in the shade, it does best when it gets at least six hours of sunlight per day. 

Use potting soil that drains well, and let it dry out fully between waterings. Keep pets away from the leaves, which are poisonous to cats and dogs if they eat them.

These ivy houseplant types are great for hanging baskets and high shelves because they have beautiful leaves trail down.

(2) English Ivy

Basic Information on English Ivy

• Botanical Name: Hedera helix
• Sun Exposure: Direct sun to full shade
• Soil Type: Standard potting soil
• Soil pH: 6.0 to 7.8

Tips for Growing English Ivy

English ivy, called Hedera helix, is the most well-known ivy houseplant types. It grows on walls and covers the ground outside. These ivy houseplant types grow and climb quickly if left alone, and their vines can reach up to 100 feet long.

English ivy can spread so quickly that it’s sometimes put on invasive species lists. Before planting it outside, check with your local extension office to ensure it’s okay where you live. 

Even though English ivy is usually annoying, it has been bred into dozens of compact houseplant varieties with cute colors, cute leaf shapes, and leaves that are closer together, so they grow better in containers.

Give English ivy cultivars a lot of bright light (6-7 hours) and let the soil dry out completely between waterings when growing them as houseplants. It’s also a good idea to wash the leaves of these ivy houseplant types every so often to get rid of dust.

(3) Algerian Ivy

Basic Information on Algerian Ivy

• Botanical Name: Hedera algeriensis
• Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect light
• Soil Type: Well-draining potting soil
• Soil pH: 6.5

Tips for Growing Algerian Ivy

Algerian ivy, also called Hedera algeriensis is a plant native to North Africa and the Canary Islands. These ivy houseplant types grow well outside in warm climates.

This plant usually has leaves that are all green. But there are also different kinds, like ‘Gloire de Marengo’ (H. canareniensis Variegata), with green leaves with dark and light spots and creamy white edges. 

Make sure this plant has good soil that drains well and enough water to stay evenly wet. It climbs up walls easily, even without a trellis or other support.

Prune this Ivy houseplant often to keep its growth in check.

(4) Swedish Ivy 

Basic Information on Swedish Ivy

• Botanical Name: Plectranthus australis / Plectranthus parviflorus
• Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect light
• Soil Type: Well-draining potting soil
• Soil pH: 4.0 to 7.0

Tips for Growing Swedish Ivy

Swedish ivy  also called Swedish begonia and creeping Charlie, is not related to English ivy or other ivies in the Hedera genus, despite its common name.

Instead, these ivy houseplant types grow quickly and come from Australia and Africa. Variegated types of Swedish ivy have green leaves with white edges, in addition to the green type. 

Swedish ivy looks best in bright, indirect light. Keep it out of direct sunlight. Let the soil dry out before you water it, and don’t give it too much fertilizer, so it doesn’t grow too fast and outgrows its pot. If the plant is leggy or too big for its pot, you can just cut off the tips and root them to make a new plant.

(5) Himalayan Ivy

Basic Information on Himalayan Ivy

• Botanical Name: Hedera nepalensis
• Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect light or some shade
• Soil Type: Standard potting soil
• Soil pH: 5.0 to 8.0

Tips for Growing Himalayan Ivy

Himalayan ivy also called Nepalese ivy, is a great plant to grow outside or in shady parts of your home. It has diamond-shaped leaves that grow from three points. These ivy houseplant types are easy-to-grow plants that need either full shade or a little sun to grow well in your garden.

If you want to use Himalayan ivy as a ground cover or on a trellis outside, plant it on the northern or eastern side of your house to protect it from the bright afternoon sun. 

This type of English ivy can live in most soil, from acidic to basic, but it grows best in soil with a pH of about 6.5. Himalayan ivy is also known for its bold, green leaves with white veins and yellow flowers.

Special Ivy Houseplant Types for Your Home-Indoors and Outdoors

(1) Ivy Houseplant Types for Indoors

Duckfoot is a kind of English ivy with small green leaves that look like the feet of a duck. This ivy plant grows well in pots or containers and has red stems. 

Buttercup ivy houseplants grow small yellowish-green flowers on their broad yellow leaves every year. 

Shamrock is an evergreen climbing ivy with small, shamrock-shaped leaves. Every year, the ivy blooms and makes blackberries. These ivy houseplant types ivy is a good houseplants. 

Manda’s Crested is a type of ivy that grows as a shrub. It has dark green leaves with wavy edges. In the winter, the leaves turn a bronze color.

(a) Basic Care for Ivy Houseplant Types for Indoors

First, your ivy needs a lot of natural light, but it shouldn’t be right in the sun. If different kinds of ivies don’t get enough light, their colors may start to fade. 

Please don’t keep the soil in your pots too wet when you water them. Before watering your indoor ivy plant, ensure the soil is dry. The pot should have a lot of drainages so that the ivy doesn’t sit in water. 

It would be best if you also washed the ivy leaves every so often to get rid of dust. Put the whole plant in the shower and run water over the leaves. This will also keep your ivy looking healthy and give the soil a lot of water.

(2) Ivy Houseplant Types for Outdoors

Ivy is the perfect outdoor plant if you want to hide something ugly, cover an arbor, or give your garden some shade. All outdoor ivies or vines are easy to care for and can grow in various soils. 

English ivy is great for growing in your garden because it does well everywhere. The climbing plant gets very tall, and its big leaves cover a lot of ground. Place English ivies in your garden where they can get some shade. 

Irish ivy grows like English ivy, but its dark green leaves are glossier. 

Algerian ivy is a hardy climbing ivy that can handle some sun and grows well in most soil types. 

(a) Basic Care for Ivy Houseplant Types for Outdoors

Most kinds of ivy are good for ground cover because they grow quickly and spread. But you must ensure they don’t get too much in the way. Ivy is a good plant to put in your garden where other plants have trouble growing. 

All ivy vines need soil that drains well to grow well outside. Most types of ivy can grow in soil with a range of pH levels, but they do best in slightly alkaline soil. 

The first year after you plant your ivy, you should water it often to help it get established. Once the climbing vine is established, you only need to water it when the weather is very dry. Keep the soil on the dry side and ensure it doesn’t get too wet. 

About every 3 years, you will need to cut back your ivy to keep it in check and help it grow healthily. If you don’t want climbing ivy to take over your yard, plant it in pots and put them where you want it to grow. The roots won’t spread because the pots will hold them in place.

Conclusion

Ivy is a group of leafy plants that can grow as vines that climb up walls or as creepers that cover the ground. Ivies are plants that grow quickly and do just as well outside as they do inside. You can plant many kinds of ivies to grow up walls, trellises, arbors, or any other structure in your garden. Ivies can be grown as houseplants and add lush, green, trailing leaves to any room.