"adm" wrote in message
news:2008042110425516807-adm1@fastmailfm...
On 2008-04-21 09:44:14 +0100, "Mary Fisher"
said:


"adm" wrote in message
news:2008042109020616807-adm1@fastmailfm...
On 2008-04-21 06:20:41 +0100, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given said:

"adm" wrote in message news:2008042012050416807-

but then thought that Ivy or a similar wall climber might look
a lot nicer.

My advice for Ivy is: Don't! Find something else.

The old adage for Ivy ("first it sleeps, then it creeps, then it
leaps")
is
very true as I know from the multiple ivys I've spent (unsuccessfully)
trying to exterminate in my yard.

Thanks for all the advise so far! It seems to be about 4 to 2 in favour
of
"DON'T DO IT".....with constant pruning being the downside.....however,
if
i do plant it, it will be a location that's easy to prune - I can just
run
the hedge trimmer along the top and sides of the wall every month or so.

As for ever wanting to remove it, I remember the mess the roots make on
walls from my old days as a roofer. However, this is gong to be a cover
plant for an ugly but neccesary boundary wall and is not likley to ever
need to be removed - and if it is, it would be replaced with something
else unless bare concrete suddenly becomes the height of fashion!

Does anyone know of a better wall covering plant that will grow up a
concrete wall unsupported? I suppose if neccesary, I could string wires
along the face of the wall for support, but would rather not as they
will
need to be replaced every few years.

I've had a scout around on 'tinternet and www.fibrex.co.uk seem to have
several hundred varieties of Ivy - including Goldheart as well as lots
of
other nicely coloured ones. I also read that when planting Ivy, you
should put a handful of lime in the hole as it likes alkaline
conditions.
Does this make sense?

No idea, I've grown it in all sorts of places.

But the bases of most walls are likely to be alkaline if only forom
leaching
of snots, concrete walls willl obviously leach more alkali than that
which
just comes from mortar.

Good point!


Before you decide against ivies do look around at what's available, there
really are several which aren't quick growing and need very little or
even
no maintenance. The advantage over most other climbers is that they are
evergreen so clad the wall even during winter. Other climbers, no matter
how
pretty in flower or coloured leaf, have their own drawbacks.

That's why I'm leaning towards the Ivy approach - so far the only drawback
seems to be pruning, which I think will be manageable anyway.

I like the idea of a small leafed variety as I think it will just look
better....


Also, ivies afford shelter to wildlife so will encourage birds into your
garden.

What - more birds! We're already overrun with them....I get all kinds of
birds here, from Barn Owls, Herons, Kestrels....there's even a couple of
Parrots that must have escaped from somewhere...

Lucky you!

We once found a parrot in one of our trees. We brought it indoors and rang
the police. The owner had been frantic and gave us £40 reward!

Mary