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

"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

"Charlie Pridham" wrote ..


"Diamond" wrote

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.


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


If you look both of those related plants up on Wikipedia you will see which
you have as the leaves are distinctly different, Virginia Creeper is also
known for it's fiery red autumn colour.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

Thanks to both replies.

I am now sure it is Virginia Creeper as in the autumn it did have the most beautiful bright red leaves. Stunning, which is why I am so upset the plant appears to have died.

However, I still have the problem that this has spread a very long way across the wall in width and the stems/branches are totally stuck like glue to the bricks. Not sure how I will get them off.

Thanks for any further advice.

On 20/03/2012 14:04, Diamond wrote:

I am now sure it is Virginia Creeper as in the autumn it did have the
most beautiful bright red leaves. Stunning, which is why I am so upset
the plant appears to have died.

However, I still have the problem that this has spread a very long way
across the wall in width and the stems/branches are totally stuck like
glue to the bricks. Not sure how I will get them off.

Thanks for any further advice.

My neighbour had a Virginia Creeper which was about 25 years old. It
went right round the house and came back to the front where it
intertwined with itself! A few years ago he decided to remove it, and
although it took several days, he finally got it off. I can't remember
if he used anything special, but it seems to me that an old wallpaper
scraper might help to get the plant of the wall, cutting through any of
the clinging roots without damaging the bricks and mortar.

--

Jeff

"Diamond" wrote in message
news

Bob Hobden;953752 Wrote:
"Charlie Pridham" wrote ..-


"Diamond" wrote-

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.
-

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

-
If you look both of those related plants up on Wikipedia you will see
which
you have as the leaves are distinctly different, Virginia Creeper is
also
known for it's fiery red autumn colour.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

Thanks to both replies.

I am now sure it is Virginia Creeper as in the autumn it did have the
most beautiful bright red leaves. Stunning, which is why I am so upset
the plant appears to have died.

However, I still have the problem that this has spread a very long way
across the wall in width and the stems/branches are totally stuck like
glue to the bricks. Not sure how I will get them off.

Thanks for any further advice.


--
Diamond

From your description it is not Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus
quinquefolia which has 5 leaflets, but Parthenocissus tricuspidata which has
one leaf but three lobes) both plants have fiery red colours in Autumn and
both self cling using tendrils with adhesive pads but the stems of Virginia
creeper are not tight to the wall and indeed it often falls off. while
Boston Ivy sticks as you described.

Doesn't make a bit of difference to your problem however!!


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

Thanks again everyone. Well, whether its Virginia or Boston I am not quite sure but as Charlie says, they both have red leaves and both cling !!

My concern is that when I try to scrape/break or pull off the dead twigs on the brick wall, it leaves behind an inprint of the tendril. If I have to take it off, the entire wall will be covered in a pattern of white lines, horrible. This happened with an Ivy I removed a few years ago, I still see the marks now!

But presumably you are all telling me there is nothing can save this plant?

Thanks.

"Diamond" wrote in message
news

'Charlie Pridham[_2_ Wrote:
;953814']"Diamond" wrote in message
news
Bob Hobden;953752 Wrote:-
"Charlie Pridham" wrote ..-



Thanks again everyone. Well, whether its Virginia or Boston I am not
quite sure but as Charlie says, they both have red leaves and both cling
!!

My concern is that when I try to scrape/break or pull off the dead twigs
on the brick wall, it leaves behind an inprint of the tendril. If I have
to take it off, the entire wall will be covered in a pattern of white
lines, horrible. This happened with an Ivy I removed a few years ago, I
still see the marks now!

But presumably you are all telling me there is nothing can save this
plant?

Thanks.

--
Diamond

I have not seen them actually die, but have large scale die back, once the
older stems do that they do not seem to recover but the plant usually grows
back from lower down.

The stems/tendrils do leave some marks when removed but this will be less if
you give them time to weather and become crispy dead


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