North Short Plant Club Feb 7, 2026 12:12 AM

How to Get Rid of Poison Ivy

I have a certain appreciation for poison ivy.  It’s a native plant willing to grow where almost nothing else does... wet or dry, full sun to deep shade.  Attractive foliage especially in spring and fall, and berries that birds love.  But my family are also quite allergic.  Though I’m on the “no chemicals” end of the spectrum, I keep some brush killer tucked away especially for it. 

My previous and current home are both on big wooded properties that unfortunately started with lots of poison ivy.  ~15 years ago I reached out to a few landscape contractors, and my “at scale” poison ivy removal project was more trouble than they were interested in.  I considered renting goats. 

I ended up tackling it myself.  I prioritized cutting it back where it was climbing trees or otherwise getting into the sun, and gradually worked my way into the deep shade. 

When a small amount poison ivy has woven itself into a bed of plants I care about, my strategy has been to water it enough to loosen the soil up, and hand-pull it protecting my hand with a garbage bag which does double duty as “safe disposal” and “protecting my hands/arms.”


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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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The cost of this recipe's ingredients will vary depending on the season and the sizes and varieties you select.


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