Native
Plant Alternatives to English Ivy
Native
Plant Alternatives to English Ivy
Benefits of native plants
The following native plants are adaptable, require little or no maintenance, and provide an evergreen canopy that is disease and pest resistant.
| Plants: | Growing conditions |
| Pacific blackberry (Rubus ursinus) |
tolerates full sun, part sun, clay, and seasonal flooding (not recommended for home landscaping) |
| sword fern
(Polystichum munitum) |
sun or shade; dry to moist (clean up in March to look fresh) |
| salal
(Gaultheria shallon) |
sun to partial shade; dry to moderate moisture (needs to be brush cut periodically) |
| California honeysuckle (Lonicera hispidula) |
tolerates full sun, part sun, full shade, clay, seasonal flooding, and deer |
| low Oregon grape
(Mahonia nervosa) |
likes part shade. and is tolerant of deep shade |
| tall Oregon grape
(Mahonia acquifolium) (particularly low growing selections |
sun or shade, drought tolerant, dry to moist well drained sites |
| kinnikinnick
(Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) (especially "Vancouver Jade" & Arctostaphylos media) |
sun, some shade: well drained soil |
| slough sedge
(Carex obnupta) |
moist shade (needs mowing in March to stay fresh) |
| beach strawberry
(Fragaria chiloensis) |
sun to partial shade; dry to moderate moisture |
| thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus) |
sun to shade, moist to dry |
The following native plants plus the above plants can be the elements of a diverse ground cover planting that can be an ivy substitute.
| Climbers: | Growing conditions |
| Western trumpet honeysuckle
(Lonicera ciliosa) |
partial to full shade |
| Groundcovers: | |
| bunchberry, Canadian dogwood
(Cornus unalaschkensis) |
partial to full shade; humus rich soil |
| Dewey sedge
(Carex deweyana) |
sun to partial shade; moist to dry |
| Hendeson sedge (Carex hendersonii) |
partial shade to shade: moist |
| fringe cup
(Tellima grandiflora) |
moist shade to partial shade |
| foamflower
(Tiarella trifoliata) |
partial shade to shade; moist soil |
| inside-out flower
(Vancouveria hexandra) |
sun to shade; moist to moderate moisture |
| large-leaved-avens
(Geum macrophyllum) |
sun to partial shade |
| piggy-back plant, youth-on-age
(Tolmiea menziesii) |
partial shade to shade; moist soil |
| slough sedge
(Carex obnupta) |
moist shade |
| twinflower
(Linnaea borealis) |
partial to full shade |
| vanilla leaf
(Achlys triphylla) |
partial sun; dry to moist soil |
| wild-ginger
(Asarum caudatum) |
shade; moist soil |
| wood sorrel
(Oxalis oregana) |
shade; wet or dry soil |
| Ferns: | |
| oak fern
(Gynmocarpium dryopteris) |
shade or partial shade; dry to moist |
| lady fern
(Athyrium filix-femina) |
sun to shade: moist soil |
| Subshrubs and shrubs: | |
| common juniper (Juniperus communis) |
sun to partial shade; dry to moist soil |
Pictures this page copyright Clayton Antieau.