TimLondon wrote:


Hi, should I encourage ivy to grow

No!

or does it become unmanageable?

Yes!

I've just bought a house that already has some but it wants to spread
across the side of the house. While I think it's attractive I don't
want to create a beast that'll be a headache in the future! Any
thoughts welcome.

I had a first floor flat that had a bit of garden out the front and
that had a nice little piece of Ivy in it when I moved in. I suppose
part of it was my fault for letting it get out of control, but when I
finally decided to get rid of it, as it entwined itself around the
gutter and telephone wires, etc., it really was the Devil's Own job to
remove it.

It's probably OK if you keep it pruned to a manageable size, but for
me, never, ever again.

--
Chris