Warnings

• Planting an aggressive-growing ground cover may prevent poison ivy from finding a place to establish itself in locations where the pesky plant does not already grow. Homeowners may want to avoid ground covers that could be mistaken for poison ivy, such as Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia).
  
  

Considerations

• Poison ivy can return from small sections of root that remain in the soil, but biological, chemical and cultural controls exist to help fight the plant's invasion. Homeowners should use as many of these methods as possible to eradicate poison ivy growth before, and in addition to, planting ground cover plants, or the result may be a mixture of plants that makes future removal even more difficult.
  
  

Selection

• Match the ground cover to the location you need to cover. Plant English ivy, periwinkle and winter creeper in shade, and plant juniper and cotoneaster in full sun, with a weed barrier beneath.