English ivy is quietly wrecking ecosystems — and we’re still handing it a shovel. Despite its reputation as a “no-maintenance” yard solution, this invasive vine is invading woodlands, damaging trees, and erasing native plant life. One arborist said it’s time to stop planting it altogether.
In a YouTube video, Andrew The Arborist (@Andrew_the_Arborist) makes a case for banning English ivy from sale entirely. He titled the video: “We need to stop buying this plant!”
“It absolutely blows my mind that we still allow English ivy to be sold in pretty much every garden center and big-box store,” he says, before showing footage of a forest floor overtaken by the vine’s thick, creeping mats. “We’ve let it take over our woodland floors. … It can shade out and prevent native wildflowers from germinating and growing.”
Andrew walks viewers through the environmental damage it can cause, from crowding out native plants to climbing and weakening trees. Its reach now extends across much of the U.S., from the East Coast to the Pacific Northwest and into parts of Mexico, no thanks to its popularity at big-box stores.
For homeowners, it might seem like a time-saving ground cover, but it often turns into a maintenance headache. Once established, ivy can be difficult to control, requiring regular pruning or even professional removal. Its spread contributes to habitat loss, biodiversity decline, and tree failures.
“We have to stop buying this plant. Stop buying it for your garden. Stop buying it as a houseplant. Stop buying it entirely,” Andrew pleads in the video.
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Others agreed with the sentiment behind Andrew’s video but were left wondering what to do next. “Ok but what should be sold/gotten instead?” one person asked.
In response, Andrew shared native alternatives like moss phlox, woodland phlox, deer-resistant golden ragwort, wild ginger, and native ferns — all of which offer similar ground cover effects without the environmental toll.
Swapping invasive species out for native plants isn’t just better for the environment; it can also make your yard easier to manage. Natural landscaping tends to be more drought-tolerant, better adapted to regional weather, and less dependent on fertilizers or constant upkeep. Even small changes, like rewilding sections of lawn, can cut down on water use — and water bills — and attract pollinators that keep food systems thriving.
English ivy might still be lining the shelves, but more people are beginning to question why. And when enough people push back, the industry has no choice but to follow.
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Some commenters pushed for retailers to take more responsibility. “It would help if garden centers and nurseries actually sold native plants,” one said.
Another suggested retailers label invasives clearly: “Simple way to deter people from buying it would be to place a label saying ‘invasive/non-native’ on the shelf or near the price tag.”
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