ramsons and ivy
 

How well do ramsons compete with ivy? The original ramsons clump at the
nature park is being overrun by ivy, and since holding the ivy back is
going to be a losing battle, I've been transplanting a few seedlings
into other likely spots. But how long will the original clump be able to
hold out?
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article ,
Kay wrote:
How well do ramsons compete with ivy? The original ramsons clump at the
nature park is being overrun by ivy, and since holding the ivy back is
going to be a losing battle, I've been transplanting a few seedlings
into other likely spots. But how long will the original clump be able to
hold out?

Not long. I can't tell you what conditions each prefer, but I can say
that each will outcompete the other if the conditions are right. If
that were not so, one or the other would be extinct in the UK. The
solution is to ensure that the conditions favour the ramsons - but I
am afraid that I can't help with how to do that.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Kay wrote:
How well do ramsons compete with ivy? The original ramsons clump at
the nature park is being overrun by ivy, and since holding the ivy
back is going to be a losing battle, I've been transplanting a few
seedlings into other likely spots. But how long will the original
clump be able to hold out?

Doesn't it depend on aspect? My expanding patch of ramsons was never
troubled by ivy in ten years, even though the ivy was around first.
The bear garlic was under a north-facing bank, and the ivy always
headed up and south. It was a stream bank, though, and subject to a
big rise in winter, so perhaps that was why I never remember seeing
an ivy seedling low down.

I can't imagine any small bulb lasting more than five years or so
under an increasing blanket of ivy, though.

Mike.

On Sun, 13 Feb 2005 21:10:02 +0000, Kay
wrote:

How well do ramsons compete with ivy? The original ramsons clump at the
nature park is being overrun by ivy, and since holding the ivy back is
going to be a losing battle, I've been transplanting a few seedlings
into other likely spots. But how long will the original clump be able to
hold out?

It rather depends on how high the ivy gets over the clump.
Plenty of ramsons round here thrive in very shady aspects, and burst
through from under a layer of thick leaf litter and ivy.
I would imagine that the proviso is that the ramson leaves must be
able to make it up into some sort of light in order to replenish the
bulb for the next season.

There is perhaps a danger that ivy, along with another plant which can
deal with significant ground cover ( such as nettles ) might act in
combination to finish the ramsons off.

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{who is at}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk