Befriend your ivy

I just bought a house in Richmond VA that has 3 large beds of English ivy around 3 separate oak trees. Northeastern exposure. Is there any shrub or plant I can add to the bed for variety and color that could stand up to the aggressiveness of the ivy. Hydrangea, azalea perhaps? Catherine

Not sure even the house can stand up to the ivy

Keep planting shrubs, and eliminate the ivy.

I had ivy. HAD ivy. It covered an entire oak tree and half my yard. I decided to take it out so, armed with pickaxe and shovel, I went at it. By the third rattlesnake, I was rethinking the whole project...

Wear your jeans. boots and leather gloves and watch were you are putting your hands and face.

My neighbors Ivy invaded my yard. It started crawling up my house, sinking tendrils into my storm window screens, and attempted to crawl under my wood siding. It was choking out a Peony and crawling up in and invading a raised brick planter? Every year, he and I had a conversation and every year it got nastier, because I was fighting a never ending battle.

If you want to keep your neighbors as friends, please keep your Ivy under control. Better yet, get rid of it. It is a haven for spiders and other creepy crawlies in zone 6. Just my opinion. Good luck!

Rodent (rats) love to call it home. Although after reading Daisy's post regarding rattlesnakes they don't seem as bad. Lol

The rattlesnakes probably took care of the rat problem. 8')

Tuckersmom, is the ivy battle still ongoing or has it come to a resolution? If the latter, how did it resolve?

My neighbor hired a crew to come dig it out from under the fence and out of my yard. That was approximately four to six weeks ago. ( this summer has been a blur ) I went to a big box store and bought roof flashing, which I asked be stood on edge and dug in on his side of the fence so that it was approximately half buried, That probably put the edge of the flashing about 5 inches below ground. The top edge was then nailed to the fence tightly, I didn't want anything to be able to worm its way through.

I had told him that I really did not want to use chemicals, but if I did, it would kill his Ivy on his side of the fence.

He did his best apparently. I know I did my best.

It is funny that you would ask. I just checked this area this morning. So far, I do not have Ivy coming through. I am hoping this took care the problem. I think next spring will reveal the truth. I really don't want to have to have another conversation with this guy. LOL
Patti

By the way, he did warn me last summer to watch for rats. He found one and a bag of potting soil he had in his backyard. Of course, that yard is full of Ivy too. Had I known then the rats live in Ivy, I would have really been having kittens! LOL

Wow, sounds like it all worked out pretty well.

Had it been me, I would have bought stock in RU...LOL

It's not over until it's over. He has made no attempt to cut back the Ivy on his side of the fence or leave any type of "buffer zone". If I see it again next year, I will not be discussing it with him. I will be telling him the chemicals are coming out. Any effect it has in killing the whole runner will not be my problem. Stock in RU will be from killing off the Bermuda grass behind the garage. I don't want it taking over the whole back yard.
Patti

Oh man, you've got some problems. I don't know which is worse!

No problems here, just challenges. LOL

TM (Tuckersmom), you are a tough cookie! :o)
Hey, he's been warned!

I'm surprised your neighbor didnt tell you to put the flashing on your side of the fence. Does he love his ivy, or what!?

I will never think of ivy in the same way, now that I know what "critters" might be lurking within!

Valal, I think English Ivy is pretty. I just don't want anything to do with it. ROTFL

He has been warned. We've had the same conversation every year since 1997. I decided I had been walked on long enough. This year was the year that broke the camels' back. LOL

Catherine, I apologize for derailing your thread. I am positive, from your post, the trees and the Ivy are lovely. I sincerely wish I could be of help.
Patti

Haha...english ivy is pretty, just in someone else's yard provided that they aren't your neighbor...

Amen!

Hey Daisy, do mongoose eat rattlesnakes? LOL

You know it's so pretty when it grows all over houses too....definitely not mine though. Also, I can't imagine what lives in the ivy that grows up those houses. Yikes!! I had a friend once that was letting ivy grow into a room of his house from the outside. He opened the window to let it in and it was growing on the ceiling. He was a renter...

Ivy is used a lot in SoCal to help stop erosion and landslides, and it does work. The key is to keep a buffer zone around it where one can walk. This can be very labor intensive.

No Mongoose in Central California. Next time I'm in Hawaii.....