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Boston Ivy
Parthenocissus tricuspidata
Boston Ivy is grown for its foliage rather than flowers, giving the garden structure and color all season long.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Boston Ivy
Plant it in part sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–8. Expect it to reach about 39 ft tall and 10 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 4 years (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Boston Ivy
Plant Boston Ivy in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 8, spring means March to May and fall means August or September.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Boston Ivy get?
39 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult10 ftwideSee Boston Ivy in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Boston Ivy
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Give Boston Ivy about 10 ft of clear ground in every direction, measured from its center. It is one plant with room around it, not a row, and a raised bed is too small for it.
Add Boston Ivy to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Boston Ivy's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 7 published sources on July 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Clemson Home and Garden Information CenterClemson Cooperative Extension HGICheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Purdue ArboretumExplorerheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- trees.umn.eduUniversity of Minnesota UFOR Nursery & Labheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- Oregon State UniversityLandscape Plantsheight, hardiness zones and sun
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread and sun
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 2 varieties
Same plant, same care - pick the variety you are growing.
Compare every variety in the Boston Ivy group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bostonthis page | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 4–8 | Part sun | 39 ft × 10 ft |
| Fenway Park | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 4–8 | Part sun | 33 ft × 10 ft |
| Veitchii | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 4–8 | Part sun | 26 ft × 10 ft |
Good to know about Boston Ivy
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Safety
Berries are toxic to people and pets: they hold oxalic acid and needle-like oxalate crystals. Eating them can cause mouth and stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. per NC State and Wisconsin
Worth knowing
It climbs by tiny adhesive disks tipped with glue. A single disk weighs about 0.0005 g yet resists a pull thousands to millions of times its own weight. per Journal of Bionic Engineering
Does it irritate skin?
Sources disagree. Wisconsin says the sap's oxalate crystals can irritate sensitive skin; NC State says it causes no dermatitis. Wear gloves to prune if your skin reacts. per Wisconsin and NC State
Choose the wall carefully
The sticky holdfasts ruin paint, wood, and shingles, and can loosen crumbling mortar. Grow it only on sound brick, stone, or concrete, never on wood siding. per NC State
Brilliant red fall color
Glossy green summer leaves turn brilliant red, burgundy, and reddish-purple in autumn, the crimson-wall look it is grown for. The color is strongest in full sun. per Morton
Fast, aggressive spreader
A vigorous, rapid grower that can smother nearby trees and may spread into unmanaged areas. Containment, not feeding, is the main ongoing job. It tolerates hard cutting-back. per NC State and Missouri
Deer resistant
Listed as deer resistant, and tough besides: it shrugs off drought, dry and poor soil, heavy shade, and black walnut, and works for erosion control. per NC State and Morton
What pairs well with Boston Ivy
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Rhododendron
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; low at 6 ft, to carpet the ground beneath it.
Maiden Grass
Takes full sun to part sun and low to moderate water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; low at 6 ft, to carpet the ground beneath it.
Boxwood
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Arborvitae
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Colorado Blue Spruce
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Douglas Fir
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Camellia
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; shorter at 6.5 ft, an understory layer; they only overlap in zones 7 to 8.
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Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.