Topic: IVY is it a WEED!!!

[KevB]

Hi All
I'm beginning to think that ivy is a weed, a VERY invasive one at that!! it seems to proliferate all the roadside bankments, covering everything in its path, until the sunlight cannot get through to its host!! trees, bushes, walls are all covered and its a right b-gger to get shut of!! the funny thing is, our beloved "garden centres" (Royal Mints) are selling the stuff at exuberant prices and folk still buy it even though its in abundance everywhere!!
Cheers Kevb
what your view? WEED or Plant????

P.S. Thats my Soap box away now!!!!

[the_snail]

Plant. A weed is a plant that grows in the wrong plave. I know it can grow rampant but if kept under control it can be very nice.

PS. It is really easy to take cuttings from it also.

The_Snail

[Mrs Ava]

A weed!  Hate, dread and fear the stuff.  It grows up our willow in the garden, and if my darling doesn't get up there at least twice a year to pull it all out of the branches, we end up with dying boughs....it grows through our fence from our neighbours garden and the airial roots knacker the fence panels, it grows under the fence and quietly roots along the ground clambering up everything in it's path, both of the gardens I work in have a huge problem with it taking over.  I think when man is no more, the cockroaches will be working out what weedkiller will get shot of the ivy!

 ;D

[Hyacinth]

A weed when it's growing where it's not wanted, otherwise a really good cover which keeps its leaves during the winter & is beloved of birds. Except Poison Ivy. And that's a weed wherever it is & should be eradicated from the face of the earth (my measured opinion) ;D

[CotswoldLass]

A WEED in my view!

At least, it is not in my view now as OH (like EJ's!) has stripped it off our trees revealing the view over fields and of course safeguarding the dear trees!

Also revealed and preserved: a fine Cotswold stone wall.

CLx

[Rosa_Mundi]

A WEED!! Clambers over and strangles or brings down every bush and shrub it gets near, self-seeds ferociously and plays host to thousands of creatures that decamp into my hair at the first opportunity....

[Mimi]

Weed in any part of the garden apart from the bit where the dreaded ground elder runs riot..........the ivy isnt growing there at all  :o  wonder why?

[grawrc]

I love it. I have 6 or 7 different varieties. THey cover a horrible fence opposite our kitchen window where nothing will grow and they're filled with nesting birds. :-[ :P

[Robert_Brenchley]

Yes, I like it too; it's a fabulous habitat for all sorts of wildlife. There's been a lot killed off round my site, and it upsets me to see it happening.

[KevB]

So it is a WEED!! OR is it NOT?? it would seem to depend on how we utilise it!!perhaps if it wasn't as proliferent and required nurturing we would then decide it is a plant after all  :) In the meantime the garden (rip off) centres are selling it for £1 a 10cm pot!!!
Cheers Kevb

[Robert_Brenchley]

Not! It's a valuable wildlife habitat.

[jennym]

Just found this - I didn't used to think much of ivy and agree that is can look unsightly and be a nuisance, but it is so useful. (as well as being good for wildlife, I agree)
There is a marvellous one called 'Conglomerata' that only grows to about 3 feet tall, and it sort of grows upright, it doesn't climb, and is very useful as a ground cover plant under trees where not much else will grow.

[ipt8]

Its a weed when it grows where you do not want it, the same for any plant actually.
Its brilliant for wildlife but is a big problem on roadside trees making inspection for damage and disease difficult.

[grawrc]

Agree absolutely ipt8. I thought that was the definition of a weed: a plant that grows where you don't want it.

[Garden Manager]

Common native ivy (Hedera helix) can be invasive and difficult to get rid of in a smaller garden. ON a larger scale it can be used as a ground cover under trees etc (at the expense of other plants), and when allowed up trees and mature can provide food and shelter for wildlife.

I have a love/hate relationship with ivy. When we first moved to our present house  the garden was neglected and many areas ivy had just taken over. it took a lot of effort to get rid of it (by hand since i dont like weedkillers). 9 years on it still persists in 'the shadows' waiting to make a comeback should my guard drop for a few weeks/months (it wont!).

I say love/hate because i know that as a native plant it is beneficial to wildlife (butterflies like its nectar, birds like the berries, and mature plants can provide nesting sites for birds), so i feel guilty sometimes pulling it up.

[Emagggie]

Grow it in a pot around a wire  shape and give it to someone you love/hate.
Very satisfying to clip into shape!!!!!!!!!!   :)

[Columbus]

Hi all,

I don`t have ivy on my plot but sometimes I think about planting decorative plants to harvest at Christmas, such as holly, ivy, that bush with the red stems in winter  ???, or evergreens. If I had it I`d use it for wreaths at christmas.

Col

[Shirley]

I have been letting the common ivy, which is rooted in my garden, climb all over a neighbouring fence (on their side of the boundary line).  Will the ivy actually do any damage to their fence?

[cate]

Shirley, I don't think it will do any damage, and they can always pull it off if they don't like it.

Personally, I love Ivy. 

Our garden is terraced and the first retaining wall is covered in Ivy which I planted from a mother's day arrangement my son gave me - must be 15 years ago.  The wall is only about 3' high by 12' wide but it keeps me in Ivy for flower arranging, Christmas wreaths and hanging baskets, for ever.  In fact, when the conservatory was built, we declined the chance of a dwarf wall with G&T shelf, and went for the glass down to the floor, just so we could still see the Ivy.  On the few occasions when it needs to be trimmed I get very sentimental about it.

Definitely, no more a weed than any other plant that grows where you don't want it, and like any weed just pull it up if you don't want it.

[Garden Manager]

Certainly in the right place, it does look good and som of the varegated forms are quite attractive, but I couldnt deliberately cultivate it, other than in a container.

Re: Ivy and fences; I wouldnt let ivy get a hold on a fence, it makes the fence damp behind it which in turn encourages rot. Plus you cant apply wood stain/preservative to it if it is covered with Ivy. Oh yes if gets on there you can take it off, but removing ivy from a fence is a tedious, fiddly job at best, worse if its old and established.

My Advice: Dont let it grow there in the first place!!!