How do you keep an ivy hedge under control?

You see them everywhere: ready-made ivy (Hedera) hedges, or a wire mesh fence separating your property from your neighbors’, on which ivy is allowed to grow freely. It seems that the ivy hedge has become the new standard for property boundaries. That’s not surprising, of course, because ivy grows quickly, is relatively inexpensive, and stays green in the winter. Hedera quickly forms a nice, dense hedge without taking up too much space.

The main advantage of ivy (its rapid growth) is also its biggest drawback: if you forget to prune it, it can really start to run wild. How can you prevent this? How do you keep ivy under control?

How often should you prune ivy? And when?

To prevent your ivy hedge from spreading throughout your garden via runners, it’s important to prune it in a timely manner. Generally speaking, pruning ivy twice a year with hedge shears is sufficient. This will keep growth from getting out of hand. You can prune ivy year-round (except when there’s frost), but the best times to prune are around May and September.

Pruning twice a year: is that really enough for ivy?

So much for the theory… In practice, you’ll soon see that pruning your ivy twice a year is really minimal. Chances are the ivy hedge will keep spreading. If you have room for it, this isn’t a problem at all, because if you let the ivy grow a little more, you’ll get beautiful arching shoots that will bloom in the fall and then produce black berries. The flowering occurs during a time when bees can find very little food, and the berries (after a few frosts) are a favorite among birds.

In a small garden, however, letting ivy go unpruned for too long can still be a problem. Your ivy hedge will keep getting wider (especially at the top), and shoots will spread throughout your garden until they find something to cling to—usually your beloved plants.

At the base of the ivy hedge, you'll also find lots of runners. These can spread throughout your entire border or garden and take root. Of course, you'd rather not have that!

It's best to prune ivy at least 3 times a year

In any case, we recommend pruning at least three times a year so you can remove these types of runners more quickly. It also helps to walk past your ivy hedge regularly to see if you can remove any long runners and shoots. You can easily trim these away with pruning shears. Be sure not to forget to inspect the ground around your Hedera. During the growing season, we walk by the ivy hedge about every 3–4 weeks to remove any long runners or shoots that are trailing along the ground.

It's best to cut off any runners that are creeping along the ground through your flower beds right at the base of your Hederah hedge. You can then pull them out without causing too much damage to your flower bed.

What if an ivy hedge gets too big? How far back can you prune it?

Has your ivy hedge grown too tall or too wide? No problem—ivy is easy to prune. Ivy almost always sprouts new growth, even if you prune it back quite severely. There may be temporary gaps in your hedge, but these will close up again as the plant grows back. As mentioned, you can prune it year-round. You can also prune it back heavily at any time of year, but it’s best to avoid doing so in the winter or just before winter. This helps prevent problems and damage to your ivy. Other than that, pruning ivy is generally hassle-free.