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Is Ivy taking over the planet?

(61 Posts)
Nandalot Tue 05-Mar-24 16:53:13

I feel I may have posted this before, but driving back from our local city, nearly every tree of size, even hedgerows seem to be swamped by it. I don’t remember this a couple of decades ago. Certainly not in my childhood, when we wandered quite freely in fields and lanes.
Is it the same where you live?

MissAdventure Wed 06-Mar-24 22:43:12

I thin I'm going to have to get "someone" to cut mine down.
It has grown up from the ground floor, in it's small pot, and covered the wall at the side of the flats up to the apex of the roof.

Would I just need to find a gardener, please, does anyone know?

OldFrill Wed 06-Mar-24 22:57:53

MissAdventure

I thin I'm going to have to get "someone" to cut mine down.
It has grown up from the ground floor, in it's small pot, and covered the wall at the side of the flats up to the apex of the roof.

Would I just need to find a gardener, please, does anyone know?

A gardener or handyman could do it. Alternatively you could just chop it off at the root and wait for it to die off (just remember to check for regrowth and chop that down too, or put some chemical killer green type substance that won't work on it). I had trees covered in ivy and just chopped it off above the root, made a huge difference to the trees and light in the garden. The trees were Ash and l thought they needed every assistance to fight Ash dieback. Was satisfying pulling the ivy off when it had died. Some of the stems were inches thick.

MissAdventure Wed 06-Mar-24 23:05:47

Thank you.
I shall have the council on my case if I don't do something soon. smile

Callistemon21 Wed 06-Mar-24 23:10:19

RosiesMaw

I don’t know. Is she?

I did wonder who she was 😁

I planted variegated ivy (some of it was very pretty) to grow up a plain garden wall but it took off so well that it kept going over the wall and entwining around my neighbour's shrubs, so i had to get rid of it.

It doesn't seem to be ivy entwining itself round trees near us but wondered if it's Japanese knotweed. Certainly Himalayan Balsam is growing all along the sides of the road and river.

MissAdventure Wed 06-Mar-24 23:15:22

Mine is taking over the lady upstairs balcony.
It was only a bit I picked up and bought home from my mums, when she was cutting it back.

henetha Wed 06-Mar-24 23:15:50

Loads of ivy round here. I'm always attacking it. But I do leave some in place for the birds and insects .
Last summer it grew up over the garage roof, and even wormed it's way inside the garage.

Callistemon21 Wed 06-Mar-24 23:16:03

Old Man's Beard is another invasive plant that can smother trees.

MissAdventure Wed 06-Mar-24 23:23:17

I've never heard of that.
I need to cut back (pardon the pun) on my pot plants outside.

I can't do the maintainence any more, and her upstairs ruined it for me last year anyway.

Not a minutes peace, until I lost heart in it

Callistemon21 Wed 06-Mar-24 23:25:28

I've got too many pots as well. Need to get out there and sort them out.

Callistemon21 Wed 06-Mar-24 23:30:49

I've never heard of that
Old Man's Beard is a plant that grows over trees and has white flowers and then grey fluffy seed heads.
I think it's wild clematis.

MissAdventure Wed 06-Mar-24 23:35:41

Thank you. smile
It sounds rather nice.

25Avalon Thu 07-Mar-24 05:48:21

Yes Old Man's Beard also called Traveller's Joy is a form of wild Clematis Callistemon. It seems to have gone rampant in the past few years, suddenly appears from nowhere and then grows over everything along the ground and up trees and bushes eventually killing some of them. Its stems entwine and go hard and you have to hack it down.

nanna8 Thu 07-Mar-24 05:55:08

Ivy drives you nuts, I rip it out all the time. Also that bloody wandering tradescantia and oxalis. I drag out bucketloads nearly every week,sick of it.

Oldnproud Thu 07-Mar-24 08:55:36

The ivy in my garden can be a bit of a nuisance, but it's not out of control (yet), thank goodness.

Here, it is moss which is spreading over everything.

Greyisnotmycolour Thu 07-Mar-24 09:09:20

Brambles, jasmine and wild clematis are other thugs that are taking over.

Esmay Thu 07-Mar-24 09:39:14

Much as I like ivy for flower arrangements and for Christmas decorations - it can be a real nuisance in the garden .
When I first took over my father's garden - it had dragged down a fence , climbed up the back of the house and covered a laburnum tree .
It's been a battle to get rid of it .
I've spent weeks pulling it up and finally I've covered the roots in thick black plastic bags to kill it .
Very few people keep nice front gardens where I live . Many are choked with trees and shrubs , which spill over onto the pavement .
Or they are paved over for cars .
The back gardens usually have plain grass and a trampoline for children and big patios .
I admire the patios and certainly would like one !

There have been heated arguments about overgrown gardens .
I'm trying to get my neighbour to do something about his - it's about 35 years of neglect and if I dare say something he loses his temper and shouts at me .
My neighbour on the other side has had endless discussions with her neighbour about their
overgrown trees and shrubs . They rent their house and claim that it's the landlord's responsibility .

Callistemon21 Thu 07-Mar-24 10:41:54

MissAdventure

Thank you. smile
It sounds rather nice.

It looks messy 🙂
It's not in my garden, but in an AONB it needs controlling imo.

Convolvulus aka bindweed keep appearing and reappearing in my garden. It's very difficult to eradicate.

oodles Fri 08-Mar-24 17:35:22

Best way to remove ivy is to cut it off at the base and wait for.it to die, it comes.off.very easily then

MissAdventure Fri 08-Mar-24 17:38:46

I want to keep the plant itself, but there are so many tendrils which have grown into trees, almost.

I keep going out and cutting through one or two at a time.
Hopefully it'll work eventually.

homefarm Fri 08-Mar-24 19:52:18

My son tells me it's due to the excess C02 in the atmosphere - it must thrive on it. It's rampent around here.

AnD1 Fri 08-Mar-24 20:07:05

Rewilding, be careful what we wish for!

MissAdventure Fri 08-Mar-24 20:14:37

Thats why I'm loathe to chop down my ivy.
It seems a pity, when it is thriving.

Diggingdoris Fri 08-Mar-24 20:24:50

I have some ivy at the very bottom of my garden, but I keep it in check as I use it for flower arrangements. But today I noticed there are little ivy babies coming up in some of my pots of bulbs, that are nowhere near the main plant. I suppose the birds must transfer the seeds.

Milliedog Fri 08-Mar-24 20:30:35

Ivy is a real pest - and don't get me started on mistletoe! Both are rampant where we live.....

Iam64 Fri 08-Mar-24 20:34:40

It’s just occurred to me that whilst the Ivy from the house at the end of my garden is a trial, threatening my new fence - it’s less infuriating than their leylandi. The owners are the third house owners - guess who has paid to cut them back. They’re now saying no thanks let them grow. The ones in their garden that have been let grow are now higher than our houses aaargh