I would not recommend it at all. It is a very aggressive vine and if it climbs up the tree, it is dangerous for the tree plus it makes berries and birds spread it.

Would you like some suggestions for a different ground cover?

I agree with esh! There are a lot of tree companies out there making some good money removing English Ivy from tree canopies! You don't want to add to their income that way, do you? ;-)

I'll suggest, right off the bat, that you consider Algerian Ivy (Hedera canariensis) as an option. A close relative to the English Ivy, but it does not have the tendency to climb. Rather, it becomes a fast growing ground cover, and is a favorite option under the dense shade of Live Oaks in the South.

This would be an ideal time for the planting of just about anything, in your location. Woody plants, in particular, appreciate being established in the fall/winter in warm climates.

Will take all suggestions into consideration.
I have the ivy in a big pot and need to put it somewhere so I may just take my chances putting it around the tree and keep it trimmed as jay suggested.
Thanks so much for taking the time to help me.

heidiho, you may want to check with your Department of Natural Resources or similar organization so that you can get some first hand information about this plant's invasive status. I believe that it is considered a 'threat' species in your state. That, alone, should give anyone pause about planting it in the landscape.

Jay's descriptions are indeed romantic, but not based on the reality of how English Ivy behaves in a semi-tropical environment. And the very last thing that should happen is for this plant to achieve sexual maturity so that drunken birds can spread the seeds far and wide.

If you have the ivy in a pot right now, why not keep it there? In the spring, you could take it out of the container and give it a good root pruning so that you can add some fresh potting medium to the same pot. English Ivy can thrive for many years in the same container with very little effort....much longer than most plants. Annual root pruning is the secret to keeping it happy and healthy in the same container. I'd be glad to walk you through that process, if you'd like to email me.

Here is a link that might be useful: Here's some great information!

My current home came with an island planting of Canadian Hemlocks and holly. Planted at the base was English ivy. While I can appreciate the appeal of ivy in certain environments, there are issues with it near specimen trees. Given a couple of years, it takes off. The ivy was beginning to smother the hemlocks, so I radically cut them back. There is still some ivy in the island but radically reduced and definitely not growing into the tree canopy. I pruned the lowest branches of the hemlocks and introduced several different 'ground covers' including, ajuga, Irish and Scottish moss and several varieties of ferns.--I'm sure, they, like most ground covers can be invasive, but at least they they stay on the ground.

I wonder if large areas of ivy-covered ground promote mosquitoes? No scientific evidence of this, but plenty of anecdotal.

Maybe they thrive in the dark moist undercanopy of the ivy?

Thanks to all these wonderful ideas. I appreciate the explanations and alternative/additional ground cover recommendations.