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I have both an older lilac bush & butterfly bush growing in my side yard. They were both overgrown & I cut them back. Now they are showing new growth. But there is English ivy smothering the branches. I pulled some of it off. I tried to pull the roots out of the ground. It just comes back stronger than ever. And the stuff seems to have glued itself to the plants. A landscaping friend suggested using Round-up. But I don't want it to kill my desirable plants. Any better suggestions?
round up will only kill the plant it is applied to. It would be possible to use RU on the ivy but you would have to be very careful. Ivy is the devil to get rid of. I would make a concerted effort to DIG up as much as you can and then use round up to keep it away from the plants. just pulling it off will do no good which of course you already know.
another solution is to move the plants in the winter and then really go to town on the ivy.
We loved our English ivy, but wanted to make a change.
We dug up what we could, then put Round-up on what was left. We still get runners popping up, four years later! They just get Round-up on them.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Round up doesn't work well on ivy due to the glossy leaves, but their newer extended control formula has worked for me recently. You must do it on warm days, and hopefully when sunny, and it works best if you hit the younger shoots and leaves. After killing most of it that way, I mowed the dead growth, then hit any new shoots right away when they pop up. You can tarp off the good plants when spraying to prevent the wind from spreading it onto them, or use a brush to paint it onto the ivy. It can take 2-3 years to get it totally under control because any bits that are in contact with soil can root and grow a new plant.
Make sure you cut the ones climbing up the trees near the ground. They'll pull off easier after they dry and turn brown. Or you can just leave them there.
Make sure you cut the ones climbing up the trees near the ground. They'll pull off easier after they dry and turn brown. Or you can just leave them there.
Crap, I just remembered I have to do that.
That also works on old grapevines and other climbing ivies (besides the English ivy). Of course sometimes you have to wait a few years for the vines to turn brittle.
I don't have any problems controlling our English Ivy. My deer prune it back every winter. They even pull the vines off our house! But they leave it alone in the spring and summer. Now if I could only teach them to only eat our ivy!
Round-up is a systemic herbicide/agent, so my suggestion (one that I have relied on for many years now) is to cut the Ivy a few inches from the ground, then carefully apply the Round-up to the freshly cut area. If you have to, use a small brush to apply. I think you'll be pleased with how well my method works.
Speaking of English ivy, out at the corner of our driveway, we have two small ugly gravelly hills on either side. This isn't anywhere near a building or tree for it to climb up. I am thinking of laying some flat natural stones against one side and planting an ivy. I would dig a hole to put in proper soil to plant it. Will it creep up through the stones like a ground cover? Good idea or not to make the entrance more attractive? Btw, i am going to plant some pretty flowering ground cover on the opposite side amongst the same stones (after adding proper soil)
That also works on old grapevines and other climbing ivies (besides the English ivy). Of course sometimes you have to wait a few years for the vines to turn brittle.
I don't have any problems controlling our English Ivy. My deer prune it back every winter. They even pull the vines off our house! But they leave it alone in the spring and summer. Now if I could only teach them to only eat our ivy!
That's what I do to get rid of the ivy, honeysuckle and bittersweet that was killing trees when I first moved into my house. It does work, but you have to keep doing it, probably yearly. As you can see even with roundup, you will still have some ivy that gets missed. In that case, I don't think it is worth it to use chemicals.
I am happy to report that I see a lot of places around town where people are actively rescuing trees from ivy. That stuff is pretty and I think it is nice in containers...but wow...it can really get out of hand.
Speaking of English ivy, out at the corner of our driveway, we have two small ugly gravelly hills on either side. This isn't anywhere near a building or tree for it to climb up. I am thinking of laying some flat natural stones against one side and planting an ivy. I would dig a hole to put in proper soil to plant it. Will it creep up through the stones like a ground cover? Good idea or not to make the entrance more attractive? Btw, i am going to plant some pretty flowering ground cover on the opposite side amongst the same stones (after adding proper soil)
Ivy can get out of hand and I would really think twice about putting it in the ground. Honestly, I think most vines (and some grasses) can be put in the class of unpredictable in the wild. If you'd like to hold the slope, how about a non-vine?
These may be good alternatives to hold the slope:
Liriope muscari - likes afternoon shade. There is a clumping and a running kind of liriope. I believe the running kind is invasive. Evergreen.
Daylilies - need partial sun at least to flower
Low growing Juniper - If the area is dry-ish and sunny (but I have gotten junipers to grow well in part shade...) I have had good luck with old gold and saybrook gold.
Threadleaf coreopsis - Looks small at first, but will spread by runners. Native.
Adam's needle/yucca - These actually spread a little, but they're evergreen and like afternoon sun and well drained soil. They also grow well in moister soil and part sun for me.
If you plant anything on a slope, I recommend watering in the hole before you put in the plant, and paying attention to deep watering until the plant is established. wouldn't recommend putting it on the ground.
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If you'd like to hold the slope, how about a non-vine?
