Can I throw Ivy prunings into the mulch pile, or will they root ?

Smiles,
Lyn

It depends on how hot your compost is. If it's hot enough to kill everything, then you're fine. If it's not hot enough, the ivy may root itself, but would be easy enough to pull out. I've been working on eradicating English ivy (which I planted years ago) and have had good luck just tossing it onto a burn pile, letting it dry out, and then torching the whole thing. Not everyone is able to do that, though -- I am in a rural area and we always have one or two burn piles accumulating.

Thank you.

My ivy is just a hedge hiding the propane tank. I live in a rural area, too, but I don't have a safe place for a burn pile on my property, but I do have a cliff across the street. I'll continue to toss the ivy debris over the cliff.

How are you eradicating the English Ivy ? I have to get rid of some vinca that the previous owner planted. So far, the vinca is still winning.

Smiles,
Lyn

I'll take some of your vinca...ivy you can keep as I have my own problems with it

If it would stay put, I wouldn't mind having it in the garden so much, but dang it's war. Are you sure you want some ?

Smiles,
Lyn

I was just asking DH this past weekend, "Where did this English Ivy come from?" Oh yeah, he got 4-5 sprigs from the neighbor to grow over the arbor. And grow it did! I love it on our side of the fence where we have it somewhat controlled. But while in the forest behind the fence, I noticed it needs some attention before it takes over the forest! That, and Potato Vines. I think the squirrels planted those.

Yes Lyn, I'm sure. My Mom had vinca and I loved it as a kid...but then that was in Pa. Still would like to try some here.

Ivy: I was fortunate with this one. We had a pretty extensive population of it, but it was in an area we re-landscaped. The first order of business was to level a spot for the patio, and the ivy was scraped off with a bulldozer. I still have bits and pieces of it that pop up and I just hand pull and toss those on the burn pile. I do know that the parks in my area are seriously overrun with English ivy and there are regular volunteer work parties to try to eradicate it.

Vinca: I planted this years ago in my front flower bed and use it as a groundcover under a lilac. I love its bloom in early spring. It has not become a problem for me (Pacific Northwest), and coexists with my other plantings fairly well. I limit it to the area directly beneath the lilac and just pull those that are trying to share space with my first-row shorter perennials. It seems to do fine with the taller perennials. I've also introduced it to a shrub border along my driveway and would like to see it colonize there to hopefully choke out the grasses. So far, it has done well under a couple shrubs, climbing up into the bushes a bit, and making a nice blanket during the winter (most of my shrubs are deciduous). It is not easy to get water to this particular area, so the vinca gets planted and replanted on a 'good luck to ya' basis.

GinGin.... I'd love to send you some, but my understanding is that Florida has some very strict regulations about non-native plant materials. If you want to check into it and send me a tree mail, maybe we can work something out. The vinca that is out of control in my garden is the variegated cultivar. I do like it, but it got away from me, so now I have to beat it back and get it out from a bed that I am planning for heucheras and hostas.

Deb ... my vinca loves my climate. I had no idea it could take over that bed so quickly. It's going to be a real project to get it out of there. I even deliberately neglected it this year and it's thriving. I don't mind having it cover the front slope, but I want that bed back

Smiles,
Lyn

Whatever you do don't let the ivy bloom. If it does, cut the blooms off right away. If you don't the birds will carry the seed for miles, and ivy will be coming up everywhere. We found that out when the neighbors English Ivy hedge bloomed with very pretty yellow flowers. The next year seedlings were coming up all over out 1/2 acre, across the road in a field and woodland, up and down the creek. It is downright scary stuff.

I think organisms with English or Scotch or Elsewhere in front of their name would be best to just stay where they originated. I imagine they are not such pests in their natural environment (?) Thinking of the European starling which is a gorgeous bird but oh so troublesome in my neck of the woods.

My ivy is not the english ivy and has some other plant, as yet unidentified by me, growing with it and is a small hedge hiding the propane tank. The vinca has been far more invasive, but then I have to admit, I dropped the ball and didn't keep it under control.

Smiles,
Lyn

Can you show us a photo RoseBlush?

Sure ...

A close up of the foliage .. no flowers this time of year




Surviving in the rock slope at the top of my property




On the slope going up from the street level up to the house pad level .... I've since made the deer cage much larger because the rose , 'Linda Campbell', wants to be much larger and the vinca is trying to strangle the rose. It's worse than the bindweed I had to fight off. However, this is where I am happy to have it growing. The problem is that after it reached the top of the slope, it has taken over all of the area under the dogwood tree which is the only place I have for a shade garden on that level of my property. I didn't know it could move that fast





Smiles,
Lyn

Vinca
Yeah, I would much rather have vina than ivy.
It could be this one. I have this one and have been able to keep it in control by just pruning back and pulling out anywhere it heads that I don't want it.
Variegated Greater Periwinkle (Vinca major 'Variegata')

Don't turn your back on it ...

Smiles,
Lyn

It has been here for about 30 years. It did have a much larger area when we bought the place in 1999. But by doing what I said above I just have a small area long a creek bank now.

Well, I goofed. I was working to finish another bed and didn't keep track of how fast it was invading the area under the dogwood tree. Oh, well. Just another learning experience.

Smiles,
Lyn

It really isn't that difficult to get control of.

Thanks for the encouragement. Just too many projects this year. I am going to have to learn how to pace myself better.

Smiles,
Lyn