Anyone have any thoughts about this... I have wild strawberries growing
everywhere. The fruit is tiny and maybe 1 in 10 wasn't bitter, but not
sweet either. Anyway just for the hell of it I started mowing around it
when it's flowering and bearing fruit. For some reason this year the
fruit is much larger and most of it tastes neutral and some of it is
actually a little sweet! So I've been letting it go in the gardens for
about a year and it seems like it will be a very nice ground cover. it
isn't taking over anything but open space. Well in the lawn it may be
taking over some grass, but I don't mind it... so far.

Anyone have any experience with this? I'd like to put it on steroids
and sick it on the Bermuda grass! As is I don't think it will crowd out
the Bermuda grass, but I can hope can't I?

Thoughts?

On 6/7/2010 10:02 PM, Tony wrote:
Anyone have any thoughts about this... I have wild strawberries growing
everywhere. The fruit is tiny and maybe 1 in 10 wasn't bitter, but not
sweet either. Anyway just for the hell of it I started mowing around it
when it's flowering and bearing fruit. For some reason this year the
fruit is much larger and most of it tastes neutral and some of it is
actually a little sweet! So I've been letting it go in the gardens for
about a year and it seems like it will be a very nice ground cover. it
isn't taking over anything but open space. Well in the lawn it may be
taking over some grass, but I don't mind it... so far.

Anyone have any experience with this? I'd like to put it on steroids and
sick it on the Bermuda grass! As is I don't think it will crowd out the
Bermuda grass, but I can hope can't I?

Thoughts?


I'm tending to to this in areas where I have slopes and have been trying
to establish ivy. My problem is deer and while most people curse ivy as
evasive, it's not evasive here. There are native plants, some weeds,
that the deer do not eat and now I'm just letting them grow.

Frank wrote:
On 6/7/2010 10:02 PM, Tony wrote:
Anyone have any thoughts about this... I have wild strawberries growing
everywhere. The fruit is tiny and maybe 1 in 10 wasn't bitter, but not
sweet either. Anyway just for the hell of it I started mowing around it
when it's flowering and bearing fruit. For some reason this year the
fruit is much larger and most of it tastes neutral and some of it is
actually a little sweet! So I've been letting it go in the gardens for
about a year and it seems like it will be a very nice ground cover. it
isn't taking over anything but open space. Well in the lawn it may be
taking over some grass, but I don't mind it... so far.

Anyone have any experience with this? I'd like to put it on steroids and
sick it on the Bermuda grass! As is I don't think it will crowd out the
Bermuda grass, but I can hope can't I?

Thoughts?


I'm tending to to this in areas where I have slopes and have been trying
to establish ivy. My problem is deer and while most people curse ivy as
evasive, it's not evasive here.


I don't see ivy and wild strawberries having the same light requirement.
Where my wild strawberries are, the english ivy would die back from too
much sun. Ivy needs more shade. Managing wild strawberries isn't hard
and it may be a good ground cover, it grows well in rocky and poor
terrain. I'm neutral at the moment.

Jeff

There are native plants, some weeds,
that the deer do not eat and now I'm just letting them grow.

On 6/8/2010 3:04 PM, Jeff Thies wrote:
Frank wrote:
On 6/7/2010 10:02 PM, Tony wrote:
Anyone have any thoughts about this... I have wild strawberries growing
everywhere. The fruit is tiny and maybe 1 in 10 wasn't bitter, but not
sweet either. Anyway just for the hell of it I started mowing around it
when it's flowering and bearing fruit. For some reason this year the
fruit is much larger and most of it tastes neutral and some of it is
actually a little sweet! So I've been letting it go in the gardens for
about a year and it seems like it will be a very nice ground cover. it
isn't taking over anything but open space. Well in the lawn it may be
taking over some grass, but I don't mind it... so far.

Anyone have any experience with this? I'd like to put it on steroids and
sick it on the Bermuda grass! As is I don't think it will crowd out the
Bermuda grass, but I can hope can't I?

Thoughts?


I'm tending to to this in areas where I have slopes and have been
trying to establish ivy. My problem is deer and while most people
curse ivy as evasive, it's not evasive here.


I don't see ivy and wild strawberries having the same light requirement.
Where my wild strawberries are, the english ivy would die back from too
much sun. Ivy needs more shade. Managing wild strawberries isn't hard
and it may be a good ground cover, it grows well in rocky and poor
terrain. I'm neutral at the moment.

Jeff

There are native plants, some weeds,
that the deer do not eat and now I'm just letting them grow.

Not all wild strawberry and ivy but they are both in picture I just took:

http://home.comcast.net/~frank.logullo/ivy.jpg

Still early in year and I suspect ivy will take over. This area is
close to house and not visited as often by the deer.

I was thinking of this area below house where some fine bladed weed has
taken over where I had been trying to establish ivy:

http://home.comcast.net/~frank.logullo/bank.jpg

It looks decent and is in back of house that nobody sees.

Frank wrote:
On 6/8/2010 3:04 PM, Jeff Thies wrote:
Frank wrote:
On 6/7/2010 10:02 PM, Tony wrote:
Anyone have any thoughts about this... I have wild strawberries growing
everywhere. The fruit is tiny and maybe 1 in 10 wasn't bitter, but not
sweet either. Anyway just for the hell of it I started mowing around it
when it's flowering and bearing fruit. For some reason this year the
fruit is much larger and most of it tastes neutral and some of it is
actually a little sweet! So I've been letting it go in the gardens for
about a year and it seems like it will be a very nice ground cover. it
isn't taking over anything but open space. Well in the lawn it may be
taking over some grass, but I don't mind it... so far.

Anyone have any experience with this? I'd like to put it on steroids
and
sick it on the Bermuda grass! As is I don't think it will crowd out the
Bermuda grass, but I can hope can't I?

Thoughts?


I'm tending to to this in areas where I have slopes and have been
trying to establish ivy. My problem is deer and while most people
curse ivy as evasive, it's not evasive here.


I don't see ivy and wild strawberries having the same light requirement.
Where my wild strawberries are, the english ivy would die back from too
much sun. Ivy needs more shade. Managing wild strawberries isn't hard
and it may be a good ground cover, it grows well in rocky and poor
terrain. I'm neutral at the moment.

Jeff

There are native plants, some weeds,
that the deer do not eat and now I'm just letting them grow.

Not all wild strawberry and ivy but they are both in picture I just took:

http://home.comcast.net/~frank.logullo/ivy.jpg

I think the wild strawberry is somewhat tolerant of shade.

Still early in year and I suspect ivy will take over. This area is
close to house and not visited as often by the deer.

I think you are right. Susan and myself would like some deer to feed
on our ivy! The ivy takes 2 or 3 years to establish, and then you wonder
what you've done!

I was thinking of this area below house where some fine bladed weed has
taken over where I had been trying to establish ivy:

http://home.comcast.net/~frank.logullo/bank.jpg

Looks pretty open, I would think sunny too.

It looks decent and is in back of house that nobody sees.

Maybe clover? If it has enough light maybe some wildflower mix. I
have some pretty eclectic cover (some kind of Alyssum), mostly stuff I
found growing nearby and transplanted. No grass. How about something
productive?

If I lived in an upscale neighborhood, the neighbors would complain!

Jeff

On 6/8/2010 10:50 PM, Jeff Thies wrote:
Frank wrote:
On 6/8/2010 3:04 PM, Jeff Thies wrote:
Frank wrote:
On 6/7/2010 10:02 PM, Tony wrote:
Anyone have any thoughts about this... I have wild strawberries
growing
everywhere. The fruit is tiny and maybe 1 in 10 wasn't bitter, but not
sweet either. Anyway just for the hell of it I started mowing
around it
when it's flowering and bearing fruit. For some reason this year the
fruit is much larger and most of it tastes neutral and some of it is
actually a little sweet! So I've been letting it go in the gardens for
about a year and it seems like it will be a very nice ground cover. it
isn't taking over anything but open space. Well in the lawn it may be
taking over some grass, but I don't mind it... so far.

Anyone have any experience with this? I'd like to put it on
steroids and
sick it on the Bermuda grass! As is I don't think it will crowd out
the
Bermuda grass, but I can hope can't I?

Thoughts?


I'm tending to to this in areas where I have slopes and have been
trying to establish ivy. My problem is deer and while most people
curse ivy as evasive, it's not evasive here.


I don't see ivy and wild strawberries having the same light requirement.
Where my wild strawberries are, the english ivy would die back from too
much sun. Ivy needs more shade. Managing wild strawberries isn't hard
and it may be a good ground cover, it grows well in rocky and poor
terrain. I'm neutral at the moment.

Jeff

There are native plants, some weeds,
that the deer do not eat and now I'm just letting them grow.

Not all wild strawberry and ivy but they are both in picture I just took:

http://home.comcast.net/~frank.logullo/ivy.jpg

I think the wild strawberry is somewhat tolerant of shade.

Still early in year and I suspect ivy will take over. This area is
close to house and not visited as often by the deer.

I think you are right. Susan and myself would like some deer to feed on
our ivy! The ivy takes 2 or 3 years to establish, and then you wonder
what you've done!

I was thinking of this area below house where some fine bladed weed
has taken over where I had been trying to establish ivy:

http://home.comcast.net/~frank.logullo/bank.jpg

Looks pretty open, I would think sunny too.

It looks decent and is in back of house that nobody sees.

Maybe clover? If it has enough light maybe some wildflower mix. I have
some pretty eclectic cover (some kind of Alyssum), mostly stuff I found
growing nearby and transplanted. No grass. How about something productive?

If I lived in an upscale neighborhood, the neighbors would complain!

Jeff


My neighborhood is secluded and hilly. I have some neighbors that let
their back yards grow wild and then some neighbors that want to manicure
everything. I prefer it this way compared to large neighboring
developments that get bent out of shape if everything is not perfect.

Frank wrote:
On 6/7/2010 10:02 PM, Tony wrote:
Anyone have any thoughts about this... I have wild strawberries growing
everywhere. The fruit is tiny and maybe 1 in 10 wasn't bitter, but not
sweet either. Anyway just for the hell of it I started mowing around it
when it's flowering and bearing fruit. For some reason this year the
fruit is much larger and most of it tastes neutral and some of it is
actually a little sweet! So I've been letting it go in the gardens for
about a year and it seems like it will be a very nice ground cover. it
isn't taking over anything but open space. Well in the lawn it may be
taking over some grass, but I don't mind it... so far.

Anyone have any experience with this? I'd like to put it on steroids and
sick it on the Bermuda grass! As is I don't think it will crowd out the
Bermuda grass, but I can hope can't I?

Thoughts?


I'm tending to to this in areas where I have slopes and have been trying
to establish ivy. My problem is deer and while most people curse ivy as
evasive, it's not evasive here. There are native plants, some weeds,
that the deer do not eat and now I'm just letting them grow.

I've only heard people from the west coastish areas having problems with
ivy. The say it smothers and kills trees. East coastish ivy seems to
do fine in almost full sun, for me anyway. Any that was in PA and now
in TN. We can get poison ivy that will smother and kill trees, but it's
pretty easy to walk around the trunk and cut all the poison ivy. No
need to remove it, soon it will be dead and allow sun to reach the tree
again.

English Ivy will grow and smother trees in east TN. My parent planted
it in thier backyard up against the woods where it was very shady.
When they passed, after 25 years, it was smothering the trees along
the edge of the woods.


I've only heard people from the west coastish areas having problems with
ivy. The say it smothers and kills trees. East coastish ivy seems to
do fine in almost full sun, for me anyway. Any that was in PA and now
in TN. We can get poison ivy that will smother and kill trees, but it's
pretty easy to walk around the trunk and cut all the poison ivy. No
need to remove it, soon it will be dead and allow sun to reach the tree
again.

Fran wrote:
English Ivy will grow and smother trees in east TN. My parent planted
it in thier backyard up against the woods where it was very shady.
When they passed, after 25 years, it was smothering the trees along
the edge of the woods.

I've only heard people from the west coastish areas having problems with
ivy. The say it smothers and kills trees. East coastish ivy seems to
do fine in almost full sun, for me anyway. Any that was in PA and now
in TN. We can get poison ivy that will smother and kill trees, but it's
pretty easy to walk around the trunk and cut all the poison ivy. No
need to remove it, soon it will be dead and allow sun to reach the tree
again.


Hmm. I have some my mom planted on a steep hill and she also made up
some nice big flower pots and the English Ivy found its way in a nearby
crack between the walk and the slab the house is on. The stuff she
planted on a hill could get out of control one day when I'm not looking,
should I kill it all while I can?

Tony wrote:
Fran wrote:
English Ivy will grow and smother trees in east TN. My parent
....
Hmm. I have some my mom planted on a steep hill and she also
made up
some nice big flower pots and the English Ivy found its way in
a
nearby crack between the walk and the slab the house is on.
The
stuff she planted on a hill could get out of control one day
when I'm
not looking, should I kill it all while I can?

is it growing on trees or the house?

if not, i'd leave it alone, killing it off
would mean possible soil erosion problems
on the hillside, weeds getting established,
etc.

if you want to try other plants there
clear an area and plant them and see
if they can manage the soil/location.
if they fight it out with the ivy and win
i'd say you're replacing one problem
with another. get my drift?

i.e. why fix what isn't broken unless
you have other goals for that area?


songbird

Once it gets going, it's a royal aitch to deal with. This stuff was
growing up the walls of the house, the trees, and on up the hill into
neighbors yards three houses down. While it is slower than kudzu, it
is just as invasive, in the end. If you're not willing to control it,
I'd remove it.

On Sat, 12 Jun 2010 01:14:43 -0400, Tony
wrote:

Fran wrote:
English Ivy will grow and smother trees in east TN. My parent planted
it in thier backyard up against the woods where it was very shady.
When they passed, after 25 years, it was smothering the trees along
the edge of the woods.

I've only heard people from the west coastish areas having problems with
ivy. The say it smothers and kills trees. East coastish ivy seems to
do fine in almost full sun, for me anyway. Any that was in PA and now
in TN. We can get poison ivy that will smother and kill trees, but it's
pretty easy to walk around the trunk and cut all the poison ivy. No
need to remove it, soon it will be dead and allow sun to reach the tree
again.


Hmm. I have some my mom planted on a steep hill and she also made up
some nice big flower pots and the English Ivy found its way in a nearby
crack between the walk and the slab the house is on. The stuff she
planted on a hill could get out of control one day when I'm not looking,
should I kill it all while I can?