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We are buying a new home in a very woodsy area, the front yard area right in front of the house has english ivy as ground cover, couple of flowering shrubs that I don't know the name of and some bayberry(?) which I believe is a weed and looks AWFUL.
As a condition of our contract the seller installed a new septic and the septic contractor did us a half favor/half disservice. When they excavated they needed more room so they cleared the brush on additional 25 feet or so of the side yard that was previously wooded and leveled out the top half (awesome, since before the side yard was nothing more than a terraced strip with dirt and stone now it is a level space big enough for my son to play) BUT they totally f'd us over by 1) taking all the natural stone that was there that formed some what of a short retaining wall 2) Stripped all the trees and root systems that were holding the ground in place 3) left a 10 foot tall 45 degree incline mound of dirt leading right up to the street (no sidewalks)
I figured that I could just use ivy to continue the look from the other half of the side yard on the slope to help with erosion. The ivy that is already there is not too dense and some ground is exposed so today I've been looking up how to care for the ivy and help it fill out plus bring it over to the "naked" area. Well to my horror everything i've found online today is how to KILL the ivy!!! People saying how instusive it is and how difficult to control it is. Is english ivy a bad idea? I don't have any landscaping experiance or much money but I have a lot of pride in ownership and don't mind hard work.
I know this was long but I'd love some input!! TIA!
Basically the only experience i have had with it was on a house that had it growing on the outside brick and over hang. If you do have it you had better have a professional garden staff from what I saw. if not it will grow into everyhthing and cause maintenance problems.
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My first house had English Ivy growing on it. It grew between the blocks, and windows. It crawled up into the attic, and it was under the siding. It caused a lot of damage, and allowed moisture in.
I'm on the other side of the fence here as you already have the ivy in situ so the financial outlay will be zero to control it rather than killing what you have and replacing it with something else. "Control" is the key with ivy and if you enjoy garden maintenance then it won't be a problem and it's a beautiful ground cover.
I absolutely understand why many are totally against it. If you don't control it and let it envelop surrounding trees and buildings then of course it can be a big problem but some think that mowing the grass is a major chore while others enjoy getting down and dirty while gardening!
Google "English Ivy as ground cover" and you'll find a bunch of good information on how to control it, including this link:
Controlling English Ivy (http://www.pesticide.org/pubs/alts/ivy/englishivy.html - broken link)
I deal with invasive vines all the time but keep them under control without any huge effort. They're indigenous, I find them very attractive and as long as I get out there and cut them back every few months they're not a problem. If I didn't work on the control they'd be smothering everything in a year or so!
It depends on your location. At the edge of a wooded site, I'd say kill it. Otherwise, it will take over through spreading and seeds dispersed by wildlife.
See all that green? It was planted by someone years ago. It's spread to the next street over now. There is no native groundcover in the wooded area around me. It's all Ivy.
I'm on the other side of the fence here as you already have the ivy in situ so the financial outlay will be zero to control it rather than killing what you have and replacing it with something else. "Control" is the key with ivy and if you enjoy garden maintenance then it won't be a problem and it's a beautiful ground cover.
I agree with this reply, and also with paperhouse, who said not to let it get into a wooded area....in that picture, all that green stuff hanging from the trees is ivy!
I have some by my back door that was here when I bought the house, so I trained it to cover some UGLY handrails that the previous owner installed next to some PRETTY brick steps. (shakes head). I have to cut it back two or three times a year, and eventually may have to cut it all down and start over, but it was cheaper than new handrails, and it is evergreen, and very pretty in contrast to the brick steps.
You said you don't mind the maintenance, which only involves just keeping it in bounds, so as long as it's not next to a wooded area (it can be kept trimmed to a certain height on just a tree or two), I'd say go for it. If you live in a colder area than I do, it won't grow quite as rampantly as mine does (in the deep South). But saying that made me think of something else....it may not be evergreen in your area either....I'm not sure about that, but someone else may know.
I must say, the "ivy is unnatural" comment inspired a grin.
Personally, I'd care for the ivy also unless you want other stuff to grow, .. which would still be possible but you'd have to pull it out wherever you didn't want it, periodically. It does pull out quite easily, just have to follow it to the root. Half the time I don't worry about the roots, just means having to pull the stems that weave around, more often.
Our ground cover is thick with it, seems to co-habitate quite nicely amongst ferns, and firs and cedars. I think it looks beautiful and keeps it green year round. Able to grow on rocky banks, requiring little soil, and does help to bind and strengthen.
Even manages to suffer through summers with little water.
No maintenance unless you need to do a little pulling, and you've got beautiful green ground cover verses a bleak-looking piece of ground.
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