I understand that ivy is great for preventing erosion and has very
deep roots. But will it hurt trees if it climbs them? Or will it
hurt buildings, like if it climbs the wall of a wood shed or house?

Can it be easily started from seeds? That would be the lowest cost
way to go.


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English Ivy, though lovely and tenacious is on the non-native invasive plant
list. It is a parasite and will eventually kill trees if left to its own
devices. It damages the mortar on brick houses and spreads via seeds that
birds drop. I don't have any planted in my yard, but pull up seedlings
often.
Carolyn
"Popcorn Lover" wrote in message
news:1119638636.e5459ce9e5b159b53f7a228fb5c8dba1@t eranews...
I understand that ivy is great for preventing erosion and has very
deep roots. But will it hurt trees if it climbs them? Or will it
hurt buildings, like if it climbs the wall of a wood shed or house?

Can it be easily started from seeds? That would be the lowest cost
way to go.


--
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"Carolyn LeCrone" wrote :

English Ivy, though lovely and tenacious is on the non-native
invasive plant list. It is a parasite and will eventually
kill trees if left to its own devices. It damages the mortar
on brick houses and spreads via seeds that birds drop. I
don't have any planted in my yard, but pull up seedlings
often. Carolyn
"Popcorn Lover" wrote in message
news:1119638636.e5459ce9e5b159b53f7a228fb5c8dba1@t eranews...
I understand that ivy is great for preventing erosion and has
very
deep roots. But will it hurt trees if it climbs them? Or will
it hurt buildings, like if it climbs the wall of a wood shed
or house?

Can it be easily started from seeds? That would be the lowest
cost way to go.

So what kind of ivy grows best in the U.S. and isn't that way? Is
there any that's more tame and will just make a good ground cover
without hurting trees or buildings?

I'm in Colorado.

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"Popcorn Lover" wrote in message
news:1119638636.e5459ce9e5b159b53f7a228fb5c8dba1@t eranews...
I understand that ivy is great for preventing erosion and has very
deep roots. But will it hurt trees if it climbs them? Or will it
hurt buildings, like if it climbs the wall of a wood shed or house?

Can it be easily started from seeds? That would be the lowest cost
way to go.

I don't think English ivy has deep roots. You really don't need deep roots
to prevent erosion, just a network of roots near the surface. In some
areas, ivy is quite invasive. I can't get it to grow well here in zone 6.
Every winter it tends to die back and/or the deer eat it. Some people claim
that it will harm your house, but I think that is controversial. There are
vines that will work their way under siding and cause damage, but that
hasn't been my experience with ivy. Others will disagree. If you don't
want it to grown on the house, just cut it back a couple time a year and
prevent it from taking hold on your structure. I think that there is some
controversy over whether ivy will damage trees. I don't think so myself.
Others will disagree. When English ivy blooms and produces fruit and seeds,
it starts to decline. Therefore, it is unusual to find ivy seeds. Ivy is
grown from cutting or division. It is quite easy to root. You can take
some cuttings and put them in moist earth and they will root. Therefore, I
doubt anyone would propagate ivy from seed.

"Popcorn Lover" wrote in message
news:1119643329.65502f78962fd89538924e1e9a8e28df@t eranews...
"Carolyn LeCrone" wrote :

English Ivy, though lovely and tenacious is on the non-native
invasive plant list. It is a parasite and will eventually
kill trees if left to its own devices. It damages the mortar
on brick houses and spreads via seeds that birds drop. I
don't have any planted in my yard, but pull up seedlings
often. Carolyn
"Popcorn Lover" wrote in message
news:1119638636.e5459ce9e5b159b53f7a228fb5c8dba1@t eranews...
I understand that ivy is great for preventing erosion and has
very
deep roots. But will it hurt trees if it climbs them? Or will
it hurt buildings, like if it climbs the wall of a wood shed
or house?

Can it be easily started from seeds? That would be the lowest
cost way to go.

So what kind of ivy grows best in the U.S. and isn't that way? Is
there any that's more tame and will just make a good ground cover
without hurting trees or buildings?

I'm in Colorado.

There are many types of ground cover other than vines. Are you determined
to grow ivy or some sort of vine?

"Vox Humana" wrote :


"Popcorn Lover" wrote in message
news:1119643329.65502f78962fd89538924e1e9a8e28df@t eranews...
"Carolyn LeCrone" wrote :

English Ivy, though lovely and tenacious is on the
non-native invasive plant list. It is a parasite and will
eventually kill trees if left to its own devices. It
damages the mortar on brick houses and spreads via seeds
that birds drop. I don't have any planted in my yard, but
pull up seedlings often. Carolyn
"Popcorn Lover" wrote in message
news:1119638636.e5459ce9e5b159b53f7a228fb5c8dba1@t eranews...
I understand that ivy is great for preventing erosion and
has very
deep roots. But will it hurt trees if it climbs them? Or
will it hurt buildings, like if it climbs the wall of a
wood shed or house?

Can it be easily started from seeds? That would be the
lowest cost way to go.

So what kind of ivy grows best in the U.S. and isn't that
way? Is there any that's more tame and will just make a good
ground cover without hurting trees or buildings?

I'm in Colorado.

There are many types of ground cover other than vines. Are
you determined to grow ivy or some sort of vine?

Well I heard that ivy puts down really deep roots and is good for
erosion control on slopes, and we have slopes and a long
embankment in our yard and really need that.

I was also reading something about english ivy being "evergreen
in zones 5 up, but that doesn't make sense, I've never seen it
green in the winter here in Denver.

--
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Share the word on making great popcorn - come join us!

"Popcorn Lover" wrote in message
news:1119645921.c0720c1ef68c6a9aea52faca798e706b@t eranews...
"Vox Humana" wrote :


"Popcorn Lover" wrote in message
news:1119643329.65502f78962fd89538924e1e9a8e28df@t eranews...
"Carolyn LeCrone" wrote :

English Ivy, though lovely and tenacious is on the
non-native invasive plant list. It is a parasite and will
eventually kill trees if left to its own devices. It
damages the mortar on brick houses and spreads via seeds
that birds drop. I don't have any planted in my yard, but
pull up seedlings often. Carolyn
"Popcorn Lover" wrote in message
news:1119638636.e5459ce9e5b159b53f7a228fb5c8dba1@t eranews...
I understand that ivy is great for preventing erosion and
has very
deep roots. But will it hurt trees if it climbs them? Or
will it hurt buildings, like if it climbs the wall of a
wood shed or house?

Can it be easily started from seeds? That would be the
lowest cost way to go.

So what kind of ivy grows best in the U.S. and isn't that
way? Is there any that's more tame and will just make a good
ground cover without hurting trees or buildings?

I'm in Colorado.

There are many types of ground cover other than vines. Are
you determined to grow ivy or some sort of vine?

Well I heard that ivy puts down really deep roots and is good for
erosion control on slopes, and we have slopes and a long
embankment in our yard and really need that.

I was also reading something about english ivy being "evergreen
in zones 5 up, but that doesn't make sense, I've never seen it
green in the winter here in Denver.

It isn't reliably evergreen for me in zone 6. It depends on the winter and
exposure.

I guess I don't know what you mean by "deep roots." To me, deep roots would
be more than a foot deep. English ivy tends to have very shallow roots in my
garden. It is quite easy to accidentally tear it from the ground. Really,
for erosion control, you only need to have something growing on the surface.
For instance, turf grass will control erosion but only has roots that go
down a couple inches. I have hostas, Siberian iris, sedum, ajuga,
tradescantia, black-eyed Susan, and daylilies growing on a slope for erosion
control. I did plant some English Ivy, but it has done poorly.

"Vox Humana" wrote :


"Popcorn Lover" wrote in message
news:1119645921.c0720c1ef68c6a9aea52faca798e706b@t eranews...
"Vox Humana" wrote :


"Popcorn Lover" wrote in message
news:1119643329.65502f78962fd89538924e1e9a8e28df@t eranews...
"Carolyn LeCrone" wrote :

English Ivy, though lovely and tenacious is on the
non-native invasive plant list. It is a parasite and
will eventually kill trees if left to its own devices.
It damages the mortar on brick houses and spreads via
seeds that birds drop. I don't have any planted in my
yard, but pull up seedlings often. Carolyn
"Popcorn Lover" wrote in message
news:1119638636.e5459ce9e5b159b53f7a228fb5c8dba1@t eranews
...
I understand that ivy is great for preventing erosion
and has very
deep roots. But will it hurt trees if it climbs them?
Or will it hurt buildings, like if it climbs the wall
of a wood shed or house?

Can it be easily started from seeds? That would be the
lowest cost way to go.

So what kind of ivy grows best in the U.S. and isn't that
way? Is there any that's more tame and will just make a
good ground cover without hurting trees or buildings?

I'm in Colorado.

There are many types of ground cover other than vines. Are
you determined to grow ivy or some sort of vine?

Well I heard that ivy puts down really deep roots and is good
for erosion control on slopes, and we have slopes and a long
embankment in our yard and really need that.

I was also reading something about english ivy being
"evergreen in zones 5 up, but that doesn't make sense, I've
never seen it green in the winter here in Denver.

It isn't reliably evergreen for me in zone 6. It depends on
the winter and exposure.

I guess I don't know what you mean by "deep roots." To me,
deep roots would be more than a foot deep. English ivy tends
to have very shallow roots in my garden. It is quite easy to
accidentally tear it from the ground. Really, for erosion
control, you only need to have something growing on the
surface. For instance, turf grass will control erosion but
only has roots that go down a couple inches. I have hostas,
Siberian iris, sedum, ajuga, tradescantia, black-eyed Susan,
and daylilies growing on a slope for erosion control. I did
plant some English Ivy, but it has done poorly.

Ajuga seems like cool stuff. I planted lots of it all over these
slopes and will see how it does now.

--
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It can kill trees and it can distroy buildings, and even on just a hillside,
it offers a nesting area for evey kind of mouse/rat/and other pests you can
think off. Once you have it growing, you'll never be rid of it without
costing you mega bucks.

"Popcorn Lover" wrote in message
news:1119638636.e5459ce9e5b159b53f7a228fb5c8dba1@t eranews...
I understand that ivy is great for preventing erosion and has very
deep roots. But will it hurt trees if it climbs them? Or will it
hurt buildings, like if it climbs the wall of a wood shed or house?

Can it be easily started from seeds? That would be the lowest cost
way to go.


--
- Popcorn Lover
If you love popcorn too, there are no popcorn groups on usenet but
there IS one in Yahoo Groups:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Popcorn_Lovers
The internet's first-ever-in-the-world popcorn group!
Share the word on making great popcorn - come join us!

"Starlord" wrote :

It can kill trees and it can distroy buildings, and even on
just a hillside, it offers a nesting area for evey kind of
mouse/rat/and other pests you can think off. Once you have it
growing, you'll never be rid of it without costing you mega
bucks.

Ok, the heck with that then.

Let me tell you about the area I have in mind. We live in Denver
and have a shed on a slope. ( The house was just built & we want
to prevent erosion ) In the back of the shed is the neighbors
garage with about 10 feet between them, a chain link fence and no
sprinklers or water there. It probably gets 5 hourd a day of
middle of the day sun, but is shaded by the shed & garage on each
end.

What can we plant there for ground cover, that will prevent
erosion, live strictly on rain and snow water and fill in that
area nicely to prevent erosion?

Ajuga?


--
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but
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Share the word on making great popcorn - come join us!

Popcorn Lover wrote:

Well I heard that ivy puts down really deep roots and is good for
erosion control on slopes, and we have slopes and a long
embankment in our yard and really need that.

I was also reading something about english ivy being "evergreen
in zones 5 up, but that doesn't make sense, I've never seen it
green in the winter here in Denver.

Vinca minor is another quick-spreading possibility that is readily
available just about anywhere. Is this a shady location? Ivy and vinca
do well in shade. If you've got more sun, creeping phlox will fill in
nicely and does well on slopes.

DrLith wrote :

Popcorn Lover wrote:

Well I heard that ivy puts down really deep roots and is good
for erosion control on slopes, and we have slopes and a long
embankment in our yard and really need that.

I was also reading something about english ivy being
"evergreen in zones 5 up, but that doesn't make sense, I've
never seen it green in the winter here in Denver.

Vinca minor is another quick-spreading possibility that is
readily available just about anywhere. Is this a shady
location? Ivy and vinca do well in shade. If you've got more
sun, creeping phlox will fill in nicely and does well on
slopes.


Thanks, I'll check into this.



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Ivy is only invasive in certain climates in the US. It is definitely
invasive in the coastal parts of the Pacific Northwest. It is less so where
I live (in the inland Northwest), and in fact I don't know anywhere it has
"invaded" the native forest in my city, because it's simply too dry to
support it without irrigation. I would say that Denver, being dryer, would
have even fewer problems with invasiveness. It WILL grow, and grow
vigorously, anywhere it receives irrigation, but you could keep it in check
by simply not giving it water at the margins. In other words, it will send
out runners, and they won't root, because the ground will be too dry.
"Carolyn LeCrone" wrote in message
...
English Ivy, though lovely and tenacious is on the non-native invasive
plant list. It is a parasite and will eventually kill trees if left to
its own devices. It damages the mortar on brick houses and spreads via
seeds that birds drop. I don't have any planted in my yard, but pull up
seedlings often.
Carolyn
"Popcorn Lover" wrote in message
news:1119638636.e5459ce9e5b159b53f7a228fb5c8dba1@t eranews...
I understand that ivy is great for preventing erosion and has very
deep roots. But will it hurt trees if it climbs them? Or will it
hurt buildings, like if it climbs the wall of a wood shed or house?

Can it be easily started from seeds? That would be the lowest cost
way to go.


--
- Popcorn Lover
If you love popcorn too, there are no popcorn groups on usenet but
there IS one in Yahoo Groups:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Popcorn_Lovers
The internet's first-ever-in-the-world popcorn group!
Share the word on making great popcorn - come join us!

I could give you advice, but it would be worthless as I live in the High
Mojave Desert and deal with wind and heat and some flooding. Maybe something
like clover to grow fast and then some small trees or bush's to help hold
the soil. I grow ice plant ot here, but don't know if it would last your
winters.

I use to run a garden service and one thing ( costly too ) was to get rid of
ivy and I've seen the damage it can do.

"Popcorn Lover" wrote in message
news:1119669418.dccbf77ff38aebd2b7675b9c3c36217a@t eranews...
"Starlord" wrote :

It can kill trees and it can distroy buildings, and even on
just a hillside, it offers a nesting area for evey kind of
mouse/rat/and other pests you can think off. Once you have it
growing, you'll never be rid of it without costing you mega
bucks.

Ok, the heck with that then.

Let me tell you about the area I have in mind. We live in Denver
and have a shed on a slope. ( The house was just built & we want
to prevent erosion ) In the back of the shed is the neighbors
garage with about 10 feet between them, a chain link fence and no
sprinklers or water there. It probably gets 5 hourd a day of
middle of the day sun, but is shaded by the shed & garage on each
end.

What can we plant there for ground cover, that will prevent
erosion, live strictly on rain and snow water and fill in that
area nicely to prevent erosion?

Ajuga?


--
- Popcorn Lover
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but
there IS one in Yahoo Groups:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Popcorn_Lovers
The internet's first-ever-in-the-world popcorn group!
Share the word on making great popcorn - come join us!

"Popcorn Lover" wrote in message
news:1119671381.4dc9225768f96ceb0726420c40589187@t eranews...
DrLith wrote :

Popcorn Lover wrote:

Well I heard that ivy puts down really deep roots and is good
for erosion control on slopes, and we have slopes and a long
embankment in our yard and really need that.

I was also reading something about english ivy being
"evergreen in zones 5 up, but that doesn't make sense, I've
never seen it green in the winter here in Denver.

Vinca minor is another quick-spreading possibility that is
readily available just about anywhere. Is this a shady
location? Ivy and vinca do well in shade. If you've got more
sun, creeping phlox will fill in nicely and does well on
slopes.


Thanks, I'll check into this.

I put in 100, 1 gallon pots of vinca minor on a slope about 8 years ago
hoping to prevent erosion. They did nothing for several years. Some of
them died, and the area got infested with weeds. The most troublesome weeds
where other vines like wild strawberry, wild honeysuckle, and persicaria.
It also got an infestation of thistle and other hard to eliminate weeds.
After 8 years, the slope is about half covered. Needles to say, they did
nothing for erosion for the first several years.

Another choice might be Euonymus fortunei 'Coloratus'
http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/p....asp?code=A420