Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

How to reduce ivy growing below privet hedge

phill4phill4 Posts: 23
in Problem solving
Hi all, I'm seeking advice or ideas on how to improve the hedge that runs around the 3 sides of my rear garden. There is approx 140m of privet with the lawn running right up to it. We've lived in the house for 6 years now and have been renovating the garden. 

This year I would like to start making an improvement to the hedge. Ideally I would like the privet to grow from ground level but it's been out grown by the ivy that is thick all along the hedge line. I don't think I'll ever be able to get rid of the ivy, but any ideas on how to improve the privet, reduce ivy and tidy the lawn at the hedge would be much appreciated.

Little difficult to see in the pictures but I hope is gives a reasonable idea.

Posts

  • AaronBilAaronBil Posts: 100
    I guess you could scalp the lawn away about a foot to 2 foot from base of the hedge including as much ivy as possible. Do a little edging for a lawn air gap, Small chip bark mulch the scalped area and spot resolva stump killer gel any advancing ivy over the next 12 months. 
    Like you said, you might have to live with it.
  • AaronBilAaronBil Posts: 100
    Just to add, you could over time use the ‘border’ for snow drop and iris action!
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    I fear that the only method we know and have used is to get down on hands and knees and pull the stuff out, a section at a time. Once you have cleared the base, the hedge can begin to recover, especially if you do as suggested above, but you have to make regular attacks on the ivy.
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    Yes Posy is correct, I thought our garden ivy problem was bad when we moved here but 140 mtr, boy thats a figure like a lottery win!!!
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    As well as taking out as much Ivy as possible (I would do it as @Posy suggests), I would reduce the height of the hedge by one third and as it grows back I would shape it so that it is wider at the base ... in a sort of ‘A’ shape, called ‘cutting to a ‘batter’ ... this will allow the owner branches to receive more sunlight which will trigger more growth in the lower branches. 

    Information about ‘cutting to a batter’ here https://www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/profile?PID=353



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





  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    edited March 2021
    That is a lot. I tried breaking it down to see if you could tackle it gradually over the year, but that still equates to dealing with about 12m per month or 3m per week! You could attempt to eradicate - lay out cardboard to protect the grass, pull out as much ivy over the cardboard as possible (still attached to the roots obvs), and spray that growth with glyphosate (in the morning, after bruising the foliage). Remove the cardboard the following day and then do the next section.

    But then you'd be left with rather dry bare soil that will be hard to plant... I'd just keep the ivy reasonably within bounds and treat as ground cover.
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
Sign In or Register to comment.