I have just hacked back my Viginia Creeper to allow us to paint a previously
plain brick wall. The creeper in question (quinquefolia?)had never clung to
the wall at all, it relied completely on wires to support it. Is this
normal, or is it just that modern bricks (which is why I'm painting!) are
just too hard to get a hold of?

Someone said I might need to try a different species. I've not had any luck
getting ivy to grip either.