getting rid of ivy around front door

[netttyg]

i have ivy grown from two pots, growing up trellis but reaching the upstairs window. some of it is growing in the brickwork. it was there when i bought the house and i'd now like to get rid of it. if i cut the roots in the pot, will it die quickly and will it be easy to pull away from the walls.

also, what kind of plant can i grow around the door that will not go into my brickwork - please help cos i haven't got a clue when it comes to plants. thank you.

[oldernowiser]

Yes it should die fairly quickly and pull out fairly easily, but if it starts to bring a lot of mortar away with it, it would be best to leave it to decompose naturally. Ivy is one of the climbers that clings on to brickwork with little suckers. Boston ivy and Virginia creeper are others. You need something you can train, either with masonry fixings and training wire or through trellis mounted on the wall. Examples of these are climbing roses, clematis, wisteria etc.