Ivy, Help!!!

[Pullman]

My daughter has just moved into a house that has ivy growing up a small part of the walls and over a balcony sort of thing (which is at ground level) also has taken over a large part of the flower beds. Any suggestions as to how we tackle it would be gratefully received.

[ladybirder]

I will probably be the only one to say this but I would keep as much of it as I can. It's wonderful as shelter for wildlife during the winter and I like toes it growing up walls. Maybe thin it out in the flower border. Oh and it's a myth that ivy damages your walls. It's only if they are not looked after and there are cracks and crevices that the ivy will then grow into them and that is when damage can occur. But good walls, no damage. It can be very pretty when it comes into flower when it gets older.

[Prudie]

I like ivy within moderation too but if you want to get rid the only surefire way is to dig out all the roots. It will still probably come back, you need to keep on top of it.

[jno]

hard to tell if there are cracks and crevices if they're covered in ivy, though, ladybirder? Especially if you've just moved in.

If it has to go then I agree with Prudie, you have to dig it out.

[follyfancier]

I agree with ladybirder
do try to keep as much as you can on the walls , you will then get the Holly Blue butterflies in there and also robins love to built nests in ivy as they eat the caterpillars , if you can see it from your windows it ,s lovely to watch then feeding
I have 3 nests in mine so far

[woofgang]

sorry to say but i agree with the "dig it out" brigade and even then it will still probably come back and need digging out again. Ivy needs management and, while I like to see it in my garden, I don't allow it to take over on the walls of my house.

[Mosaic]

You just have to keep pulling it up. You can also kill it with glycosophate but this has to be done at a certain time in its growth, whereas you can pull it up all the time.

[rockyracoon]

Last year my whole rockery was covered in the stuff, I do like it but it suffocated everything else. I found the biggest branches and chopped them back, banged holes in them and put some glyco stuff in the holes, I also dug up and ripped out as much as humanly possible, it largely worked but the stuff kept growing back, everytime I saw a new shoot I'd paint glyco on. I'm now (a year later) confident that it's gone.

[SlackAlice]

If you do want to remove it from the walls then cut it as low as possible,leave it on the walls for a couple of weeks until it shows signs of dying and drying out. You can peel it off without too much trouble at that stage.

I believe the 'glue' is rated as one of the most powerful glues to be naturally produced by a plant.

[Pullman]

Thank you all so much for your advice, I knew I could rely on the AnswerBank help.

[katerich48]

My daughter had ivy growing all over the front of her house..But the roots were on the building next door and they cut it down so my daughters ivy died with it and her house looks absolutely bereft now without it.. So I'd say keep it..