Washington state bans the sale of common ivy varieties starting in August
A common yard plant could be on its way out of Washington parks and gardens.
On July 9, the Washington State Department of Agriculture announced it was adding the English (also known as common) and Atlantic varieties of ivy, among other plants, to its noxious weed seed and plant quarantine. When the change goes into effect Aug. 9, the sale of the ivy varieties will no longer be legal in Washington.
According to Susan Hutton, executive director of the Whatcom Million Trees Project, the banned varieties of ivy pose a threat to trees by depriving them of sunlight.
“English ivy is kind of an equal opportunity creeper,” Hutton said in an interview. “It will come to a tree and it will start to climb it, and as it climbs the tree, it starts to compete with the tree’s leaves for sunlight, and in the process, it gradually weakens the tree… once ivy gets up into the crown of a tree, it’s almost certain to kill the tree in a short period of time.”
Ivy varieties banned in WA
Whatcom Million Trees Project, which promotes the conserving and planting trees in Whatcom County, has been pushing for the ban for two years, according to founder Michael Feerer.
“Approximately two or three years ago, we started getting involved with partnering with local agencies such as Bellingham city parks and Whatcom County parks to remove ivy. And the more and more we got involved and focused on it, we realized that one of the big facets of the problem was that nurseries, amazingly, were still selling English ivy throughout the state,” Feerer said.
According to Feerer and Sutton, the plants became popular in Washington yards and parks as ground cover, before becoming widespread enough to pose a threat to the area’s trees.
“People bought it innocently. Nobody knew that it was going to become this invasive problem that it has become,” Sutton said.
Feerer said that WSDA reviews the list of banned plant and seed varieties twice a year, and advocates began working to get the ivy varieties added.
“English ivy and Boston and Atlantic ivy, which is the other ivy we have commonly out here impacting trees, was not on the prohibited plants and seeds list. So it’s quite an involved process to try to petition to add something to the list, but we decided about two years ago to take on that process,” Feerer said.
Whatcom Million Trees Project wasn’t the only organization pushing for the ban. Nine different groups, along with several individuals, took part in the public comment process as WSDA considered the proposed amendments. According to WSDA, there was support for banning English ivy throughout the public comment period.
“Most commenters expressed appreciation and strong support for the proposed inclusions, particularly English ivy (Hedera Helix) and its cultivars,” the department said in its explanatory statement regarding the changes.
Washington is now the second state, after Oregon, to ban English ivy, according to Feerer, but he hopes other states take notice and follow suit.
How to remove ivy from your yard
The ban doesn’t impact ivy that’s already been planted.
“Nobody’s going to come police your backyard, or anything like that. It’s just no more selling it,” Hutton said.
If you have ivy in your yard that you’d like to remove, Hutton said the process is relatively simple.
“It’s actually really easy to do,” Hutton said. “You stand in front of a tree, and you kind of go all the way around the tree, a 360-degree tour around the tree, and you identify Ivy that’s between waist and shoulder height, so within easy range. What you’re trying to do is just separate the ground from the ivy that’s in the tree. So you make cuts in the ivy all the way around the tree, and then you just pull it down.”
According to Hutton, once the plant is uprooted, you don’t need to remove the rest of it from the tree.
“You don’t have to worry about anything up in the tree, because once it’s disconnected from the earth, that ivy will die because it’s no longer being nourished,” Hutton said.
The Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board notes that it’s important to wear gloves and protective clothes while removing ivy, since its sap can irritate sensitive skin. The board also recommends disposing of the vines or letting them dry out on a tarp, logs or hard surface, so they can’t re-root.
How to identify English and Atlantic ivy
The ban only affects two varieties of ivy: Hedera helix, often called common or English ivy, and Hedera hibernica, known as Atlantic ivy. According to the Noxious Weed Control Board, English ivy is marked by alternating lobed leaves along its vines in its juvenile form, and a shrub-like adult form with egg and diamond-shaped leaves. Atlantic ivy has wide, dark green, five-lobed leaves, according to the United Kingdom-based Royal Horticulture Society.
However, according to Feerer, there’s an easier way to identify the invasive forms of ivy.
“Basically, if people see ivy climbing a tree trunk, that’s one of the tree-impacting ones,” Feerer said.
You can find more information on how to identify and remove ivy on the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board’s website.
Other plants now banned in WA
In addition to the two varieties of ivy, 17 other plants were added to the list of banned species. Here’s the complete list:
Common (English) Ivy (Hedera helix)
Atlantic/Boston Ivy (Hedera Hibernica)
Spotted Touch Me Not (Impatiens capensis)
Cape Pondweed (Aponogeton distachyos)
Hanging Sedge (Carex pendula, Carex pendula subsp. pedula and Carex pendula subsp. agastachys)
Green Alkenet (Pentaglottis sempervirens)
Common Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare, except bulbing fennel, F. vulgare var. azoricum)
European Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)
Herb-Robert (Geranium robertianum)
Houndstongue (Cynoglossum officinale)
Sulfur Cinquefoil (Potentilla recta)
Wild basil/basil savory (Clinopodium vulgare)
Yellow Nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus)
Camelthorn (Alhagi maurorum)
Russian Knapweed (Rhaponticum repens)
Puncturevine (Tribulus terrestris)
Rough Chervil (Chaerophyllum temulum)
Turkish Thistle (Carduus cinereus)
Palmer’s Amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri)
This story was originally published July 12, 2025 at 5:00 AM.