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Cutting back extremely overgrown ivy

melalanemelalane Posts: 2
in The potting shed
Hi there, I'm not a gardener at all, but have just moved into a house with ivy growing over the brick fence. I started cutting it back but found a thick mess of roots/vines underneath it all - about 1/2 metre thick. Would love some advice on how to deal with this. Do I cut it all the way back until there are no leaves? It will look ugly, but will the leaves eventually grow back? We'd love to still have ivy growing over the walls but not at this thickness.
Pics below
Thanks in advance!


Posts

  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    It's nearly impossible to kill ivy!
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    It'll all grow back and look gorgeous again ... but don't do it until August onwards ... hedgerows and especially ivy is full of nesting birds at the moment .... I've been watching our robins feeding babies this afternoon  :)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • melalanemelalane Posts: 2
    Thanks for the advice! Will cut it right back in Summer so the birds can enjoy ;) 
    cheers
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    😊 welcome to the forum ... anything you want to know, just ask ... we’ll try to help 😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • ElletramElletram Posts: 3
    edited 19 February
    my ivy is hanging off my back wall  ... the wind blew it off and its getting propped up at the moment with a hoe and a plank of wood because i dont want to disturb the birds but i think im gonna have to i feel bad should i cut it right down to the base where the roots are
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    edited 19 February
    I think you will have to cut it right back, but leave it until the birds finish nesting, or at least check carefully to make sure there aren't any in there. The wind blowing it off the wall might already have caused enough disturbance to send them elsewhere.
    The ivy will grow back from the base. After that you might want to give it an annual trim to stop it getting too thick, and stop it from extending too far above the wall where it acts like a sail and catches the wind.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • WaterbutWaterbut Posts: 344
    You could buy a small electric saw from B&Q it cones with two blades one for wood and one for metal excellent for cutting thick stems and roots when a hedger trimmer is useless.
  • ElletramElletram Posts: 3
    Waterbut i had a look is there a certain one you would recommend im guessing a cordless but theres so many the ivy has pulled my roughcast off grrrrrrr im gutted but at least its just the roughcast i dont even think its worth getting it re done as the ivy will grow back up .... also need to find some sort of decent trellis preferibly one to hide the big empty patch lol ive only done a quarter of it yesterday im doing it now before the birds start nesting 


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