How to Landscape Pairing Plants With Ivy

Choose plants with similar soil and sun needs as your ivy. For example, English ivy generally does well in half-shade or full shade and in moist soil with a slightly alkaline pH (7.0 to 7.3), according to Yardener.

Select plants with colors that complement your ivy. For example, a red Japanese maple might look more dramatic growing in front of an ivy-covered wall than a fern growing in front of ivy. Because warm colors move forward visually and cool colors retreat (green is a cool color), ivy works well as a backdrop for red, orange and yellow plants.

Pair dark ivies with light plants and light ivies with dark, rich plants. Sean Conway of the Chicago Tribune suggests matching English ivy with foamflower, which produces an off-white flower.

Prune ivy regularly, to prevent it from killing paired plants. Because English ivy is not a native plant in the United States, it has no natural predators. For this reason, it tends to kill almost any plant you allow it to grow on. By pruning the ivy regularly, you prevent it from feeding on other plants’ light and water sources.

Plant delicate flowers and vegetables far away from ornamental ivy. Rats hide and nest in ivy; these rats can damage vegetable gardens and chew on the roots of ornamental plants.