Many years ago, I had just bought my first home and, as you might expect, was really excited to get out into the garden and make it my own. The backyard was overgrown with English ivy, so I spent an entire day pruning it back and hauling armloads off the property. Around midnight that evening, I was miserable. I had been so eager to transform my landscape, I hadn’t even noticed the poison ivy tangled in with the English ivy - until hours later when my whole body was covered by a severe reaction.