It was hard work, but pulling the ivy out by it's roots was the right way to go. (This is where I knock on anything resembling wood.) It's been almost a year and the ivy has not come back around the house. The side yard, bird garden, kitchen garden & foundation are still clear. Yay!!
I did have to use Round-Up in one corner of the side yard near the rock wall, to keep from dislodging the rocks, and it seems to have worked fairly well. Most of the ivy has died, and the wall is still (mostly) intact.
Next on the list of ivy to tackle are the trees between the house & the pond. I don't mind the ivy as a ground cover, but I need to go out with a knife and cut the ivy down off the trees.
I'm also going to try and tackle the woods behind the house so I can maybe one day pretend to have a backyard and not just woods.
Since I got rid of the ivy in the side yard, this past fall I planted some bulbs beside the rock wall. And by some I mean 172. A mix of 100 daffodils, 32 yellow tulips, 32 muscari, and 8 hyacinths. I threw in some day lilies for good measure too. I was worried about my bulbs getting dug up, so I mulched the bulbs with a mix of grass & pine neetles from the tree in that area. I'm glad that I did. All winter I worried as I saw holes in the mulch from critters trying to get to the bulbs. Somehow they didn't succeed, and I am beyond thrilled with how my rock wall looks right now. It's been a late spring (if you can call it spring at all, I think we skipped to summer), and new bulbs take a little white to get estabolished, but my daffodiles and hyacinths are peaking right now.
These pictures just do not do it justice. It makes me smile every time I come home. Also, Hyacinths are my new favorite bulb, I had no idea how amazing they smell. These sit beside my bed right now, and believe it or not I'm sleeping better!
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| I have yellow, pink & blue hyacinths. |
Ivy is one of those plants that can be very nice kept under control in the right place, but is really a problem if its somewhere you don't want it. Glad you are getting the upper hand with it. I like the rocks lining the driveway - gives the space definition. We had over 3 inches rain on Thursday, but are now enjoying a few days of sunshine. I have been outside today building a bamboo trellis for my pole beans. A lot of work for just a small plot! When I stopped to rest I walked around with my camera making photos for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. I was hoping to be able to show Dogwood blooms, but they are all up high in the top of the tree. The lower limbs are just putting out leaves - aggravation!
ReplyDeleteHope you are having a wonderful week-end!
Lea
Lea's Menagerie
Thanks Lea!! I don't think I'll ever get rid of the ivy, but it is more under control now. :) Good luck with your pole beans!! And also the reminder about bloom day!! I’ll have to take my pictures when I go home for lunch.
DeleteWhat a great drive/walkway lining with the rocks and the daffodils. I would smile, too!
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