"Diamond" wrote in message
news

I have had a Virginia Creeper on my garden wall for over 16 years. It
was beautiful with huge green leaves every summer until last year when
only 1/3rd of the plant produced leaves. The rest of the branches look
very brittle and dead.

I have another Virginia Creeper on my garage wall which is already
beginning to show some buds, but the one on my main wall looks as though
its not going to produce a thing this year. Its also covered in
ladybirds at the moment for some bizarre reason.

Its a nuisance because I don't think I could ever get the Creeper off
the wall as the branches have glued themselves to the bricks over the
years and become well and truly stuck!

It spoils the whole look of my garden and I wonder if anyone can advise
what I should do? Plant another over the top of this? try to get the
branches off the wall - which I think would be nigh impossible? I wish I
knew an expert who could look at the plant as I not sure of the next
move.

Thanks for any help anyone can give me.

Christine


I have seen this happen before to Parthenocissus tricuspidata (Which is
normally called Boston Ivy not Virginia Creeper - your description sounds
more like Boston Ivy as Virginia Creeper doesn't stick as close to the
wall), your best bet is to cut the stems near the base and hope for it to
come back from the base, I am not sure about the cause, it won't be cold as
they are very hardy. Anyway don't bother doing anything with the dead stems
this year just grow something up them (I am thinking something cheap and
annual like sweet peas or Black Eyed Susan) the dead stems will come off OK
the following winter having weathered a bit

--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk