German or English Ivy: How Do You Tell?

These two ivy plants create cascading foliage that brightens any window. Growing habit and leaf shape is similar making them easy to confuse and difficult to remember. For years, I had to look them up each time I referred to them - just to be sure.

German Ivy

• German Ivy 'Delairea odorata' (previously 'Senecio mikannioides') is native to South Africa. This plant is thought to have been accidentally transported by European Colonization and later used for landscaping. It grows wild on the California coast where it was classified as "most invasive and damaging wild land pest plants" in 1999.
  
• German ivy produces abundant foliage along trailing vines making it suitable for hanging plants during the winter and a decorative addition to window boxes and planters in the summer.
  
• Leaves are lobed - typically with six points - solid green, and thin and pliable. This rapid growing plant prefers bright filtered light, evenly moist soil and fertilizer once a month.
  

English Ivy

• English Ivy 'hedera helix' is similar, but stems are woody and the foliage is stiff and waxy. Native to southern Europe and northern Africa there are over 200 varieties of English ivy. The most common houseplants are variegated varieties with dark green foliage with white streaks or edgings.
  
• English ivy is either grown as a hanging plant or trained as a topiary.
  
• This plant prefers bright filtered light, watering when the soil dries and occasional fertilizer.
  
• English ivy can be trained into a "wreath" by inserting a coat hanger molded into a circle in a pot. Guide the vines around the coat hanger and place it in a sunny location and watch as your 'wreath' fills out.
  

Both German and English ivy pose a threat when allowed to grow wild as they often overtake other vegetation and become invasive. As a houseplant, however, these attractive plants are easy-to-grow and add a bit of green for those cold winter months.

I love them both German and English Ivy for different reasons. The texture of German ivy and its lush green foliage reminds me of spring - while English ivy enhances the beauty of the holidays with its variegated foliage.

Whichever you prefer, both are easy-to-care for and require the same basic growing conditions. If you have trouble remembering which is which - remember English ivy has woody stems and waxy foliage, while German ivy is thin and fleshy.

Sources:
Wayne's World: German Ivy
NC State University: English Ivy