The Royal Horticultural Society published guidance on September 30, 2026, encouraging gardeners to value ivy in autumn and presented it as a wildlife-supporting plant for October. The guidance shifts attention from routine removal of climbing growth to retaining some mature ivy where its ecological role is useful.
RHS said ivy flowers open when many other plants have finished flowering, attracting honeybees, bumblebees, solitary bees, hoverflies, wasps, butterflies, moths and beetles. It also noted that the ivy bee depends heavily on ivy and times its life cycle around the plant’s flowering season.
The management point is to retain mature growth. RHS explained that young ivy produces familiar lobed leaves and climbing stems, while older growth becomes more shrub-like and produces autumn flowers. If ivy is cut hard every year, it may not reach the flowering stage, so the society advised leaving a section to mature where space allows.
RHS said ivy can grow in sun or shade and in most soils, but not in waterlogged conditions. It noted that waterlogged soil can displace air around roots, so ivy management should be assessed together with drainage and soil moisture conditions.
In gardens, ivy may cover fences or walls or spread as groundcover, so it should be checked around gutters, windows and roof spaces. RHS advised pruning where needed, preferably after flowering, and avoiding the removal of all mature shoots at once to preserve its wildlife value.
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