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

Boston Ivy ground cover

wcppmt4tr90L6uqxvewcppmt4tr90L6uqxve Posts: 2
in Plants
Hi there

We have a large slope in our garden that is currently bare. It’s in a good location and is quite large covering roughly sixty square metres at probably a 45 degree angle. 

I’m thinking of planting Boston Ivy as ground cover over it. I was wondering which way would be the best to plant it. 

Would it be best to plant at the top and trail it down; in the middle and let it spread out; at the bottom and let it climb up or a mixture of them?

Any experience or opinions appreciated!

thanks

Posts

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Not an expert but I would say that if you plant it at the bottom, you'll be forever trying to stop it from growing horizontally across whatever is at the bottom of your slope 
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited October 2022
    I am a self-styled ivy expert.  Alas, it's not an ivy.  So I have no specialisd lnowledge.

    But from my general gardening experience I would say: plant it wherever is most convenient and train the growths where you want to cover.

    Or try a bit here and a bit there.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • BiljeBilje Posts: 811
    I have what I call Boston ivy growing on a garage wall. It gets gorgeous Autumn colour but then drops it leaves. I wouldn’t think growing it as ground cover would work as for several months you’d have bare soil and a tangle of stems.

  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @wcppmt4tr90L6uqxve I grow Rubus tricolour in a large pot on a pillarl. In the course of the year it will grow three metres and flows down the pot and wall catching the sun light. It is rough tough plant with airiel roots. So will root where it touches the ground. Used by councils to cover ground and slopes, it is evergreen.
    Hedera helix will do the same job but they obviously vary in growth rate.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    I would second Bilje.  Should we start a new thread for groun cover for your situation?
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited October 2022
    Another thought might be lesser periwinkle cut back in february you can then see the flowers. You will need to be patient when covering such a large area.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    What about ivy?  This is Hedera helix "Mander's Crested" aka "Curly Locks".



    This is growing under a Cedrus deodara, known for not allowing most things to grow.

    I can also recommend Hedera hibernica.  But rather dark and boring.  Or Hedera colchica, that also comes variegated.  But has big leaves of an interesting shape.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    @wcppmt4tr90L6uqxve -it wouldn't be the first thing that springs to mind for covering a slope, for the reasons already given, although you could put a load of spring bulbs  and cyclamen in, to give you something to bridge the gap when it's dormant. There are probably other plants that would work too, especially while it established. You could peg it down as it grew, to get it spreading more, but whether it would work is debateable. Parthenocissus [which is what Boston Ivy is] also take a fair while to establish, so that would be a factor too, and if you put several in to get a quicker result, you'll have a very thick maze of it after five or six years, which might be a bigger problem!  
    Ivy, in general, is pretty dull if that's all there is on a large area, even if it's a good variegated variety. 

    I'd opt for something like cotoneaster, which is ideal for covering slopes, and needs minimal maintenance. Great for wildlife too. Many are evergreen too, and you can still interplant with bulbs etc to give a longer season of interest. 
    If you can give a bit more info about the site- aspect, climate etc, that will also help with other ideas  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited October 2022
    I think a mix of plants would work better in such a large space. Those I have mentioned are evergreen and they have fiberous roots which are essential on a slope to hold the soil. The Cotoneasters that hug the ground as mentioned by @Fairygirl will also root where they touch the soil, some are evergreen and I agree would be best for what you want.  Other possibles are the ground hugging Hypericum and Campanula poscharskyana also evergreen. 
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited October 2022
    Hi there wpc ... are you still there?  Are we on the right trail?



    Fairygirl said:
    I'd opt for something like cotoneaster, which is ideal for covering slopes, and needs minimal maintenance. Great for wildlife too.

     Just a comment on cotoneaster.  My Cotoneaster hoizontalis is far from maintenance free.  It collects leaves, and lets in enough light for tree weeds: oak, holly and ash, and other weeds: yellow sorrel, meadow grass, coarse ivy and violets.  As for wild life, the mice love it.  So saying, generally it does a good job.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
Sign In or Register to comment.