Overgrown border

 

I have a border (4x2 metres) which is completely overgrown.
When I try to dig I get a tangle of roots.
I think these belong mainly to an ivy growing on a low wall
adjoining the border.

I'm presently thinking of digging up all these roots,
putting down some compost and manure in the border,
and planting honeysuckle and wisteria against the wall,
which now has a trellis above it.

I'd prefer the ivy - which is quite a nice variegated version -
to survive, but will not weep if it dies.

Any advice or suggestions gratefully received.

--
Timothy Murphy  
e-mail: gayleard /at/ eircom.net
tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland

 

On Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:13:48 +0100, Timothy Murphy


You say the border is completely overgrown so, presumably, you're just
starting to tackle it and are finding these roots in the bit you're
currently digging.

It can be very difficult to totally kill the bog-standard green ivy
but some variegated forms are a bit more susceptible. That said, some
years ago I shoved an old indoor variegated ivy into a bare patch
behind the pond (the little label said it was tender!). Last year I
finally got round to trying to remove what was now growing madly into
the pond and had lived through several winters of being encased in
ice!. Dug out every bit I could find but it's back with a vengeance
this year. So if the roots are ivy, and you don't really mind taking a
risk, yank them out but just leave some around the base of the plants
growing up the wall - you'll probably find it will recover.

But are they ivy roots? It's worth checking carefully the  under- (or
over-!) growth. If you chop up some weed roots you could end up with a
weed revolution. I'd suggest you rest from digging for few weeks and
get some glyphosate weedkiller (the earlier thread you started should
have told you enough about that). Protect the ivy above ground with
some plastic sheeting and spray the rest of the overgrowth. Glyphosate
will work down to the roots given a bit of time but won't affect
anything that doesn't get sprayed above ground.

You can afford to take your time as by now you're really looking to
next year's flowers. If your weather's as hot and dry as here,
anything you plant will have a fight on its hands and you'll be
spending your mornings and evenings with a hose or watering can!
Preparing the ground now and planting in the autumn might be far more
successful.

I'd be a bit worried, though, that ivy could "strangle" new
honeysuckle or wisteria plants - others may have experience of growing
these plants together and could offer some authoritative advice.

Jake

 

I.dont.want.any@spam.thanks says...

I am with Jake, remove any plants you want and pot them, then use Roundup
on the bed, don't dig (I use a sprinkle bar never a spray) I wouldn't try
re planting the bed until next spring after seeing what comes up that may
need rescue (or more weed killer.) better to spend a few months dealing
with long term weed problems than spend forever trying to weed a bed with
plants in.

Don't worry about the Ivy, what you are proposing won't kill it. when
planting the other climbers I would suggest not putting the roots too
close to the established Ivy and using a plastic watering tube in the
planting holes so you can insure plenty of water the new plants first
summer in the ground. Wisteria in particular like a lot of water and will
eventually make a big root system to get it but in the mean time will
rely on you to provide it
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

 

Timothy Murphy wrote:

A good killer for ivy is the compost accellerator Ammonium sulphamate,
formerly known as Root Out

Malcolm