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What to do about this sick hedge?

amandataylor6amandataylor6 Posts: 11
in Problem solving
Hi,
I moved into my house last year and have a hedge that goes round the whole perimeter. Some of it is hedge and some a plant like ivy. In a couple of places everything has died back. Can anyone give me some advice on what to do? I am not sure if I should remove all of what seems to be dead. 


Posts

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Ivy can look like that when it's cut right back. Probably by the previous owners prior to sale.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I agree. I can't tell what else is (or was) there besides the ivy and the wire fence.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • amandataylor6amandataylor6 Posts: 11
    Thank you. Should I leave it or cut it away and start again with a new hedge?
  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    It rather depends what you want. If you like a barrier of ivy then stick with the established growth, but ivy without a support can easily blow over in a gale. If you decide to pull up the ivy and go with something like a mixed native hedge, you will probably still get regrowth from the ivy's roots unless you can get it all out. In its favour, ivy is wonderful for wildlife and many a bird uses it for nesting, and the flowers and berries are good for insects and birds.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited April 2023
    It looks like a vastly overgrown ivy.  And most is dead.  

    I have a suspicious mind, I guess that a neighbour seized the opportunity during the hiatus and cut or poisoned it. It might, of course, be rooted on their side.

    Ivy rots and becomes brittle very quickly.  If you keep testing it you will find it easy to pull apart.  What you grow nwxt is a another decision.  Ask your neighbours what they think!
     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."
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