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Best ivy on a north facing wall

  • 20-02-2012 4:33pm
    #1
    chickencurry02
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 99 ✭✭


    Just looking for some suggestions on what is the best ivy to grow on a north facing wall. The wall is about 30 yards in length. I have trellis's put up along the wall and want to grow some ivy in the next few weeks. I would like to get a mixture of different colours etc to brighten it up. I am afraid though that it will find it hard to grow as not getting much sun. any advice appreciated. Seen ivy in woodies 2 plants for €15.00. Can you get cheaper?


Comments

  • #2
    soap1978
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 723 ✭✭✭soap1978


    try the climbing hydrangea,it comes out in white flowers and does ok in the shade i find.


  • #3
    looksee
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29,096 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    I second the hydrangea. Trouble is with ivy, if it gets going it is inclined to get thicker and less controllable. It becomes a nightmare to try and keep cut back and the variagated type tends to become dominated by dark bits anyway. It will tend to accumulate at the top of the wall looking for a bit of sun, then there is a danger of the wall being pulled down in high wind (happened to us). It looks very appealing and innocent when you buy it, but I would not have any more!

    Incidentally you don't need trellis for ivy, in fact it will be a liability as the ivy will pull it off the wall, and the ivy is more than capable of attaching itself to the wall.


  • #4
    Sonnenblumen
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,834 ✭✭✭Sonnenblumen


    OP - check the variety, not all (but most) are self clinging and do not require support.

    Ivy does bulk up and the variagated ivies with age tend to lose the white/yellow variagation and revert to green.

    A good evergreen alternative to ivy and easier to keep in check is Cissus Striata.


  • #5
    bmaxi
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,859 ✭✭✭bmaxi


    OP, I can just see your post in a few years. "How do I get rid of this ******* ivy"? If you already have trellis up then, along with the hydrangea, maybe something like akebia quinata for early flowers or a rose like zepherin drouhin, virtually thornless and very scented. Of course all of these suggestions require a fairly decent soil and maybe you don't have that.


  • #6
    Northumbria
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 159 ✭✭Northumbria


    chickencurry02 wrote: »
    Just looking for some suggestions on what is the best ivy to grow on a north facing wall. The wall is about 30 yards in length. I have trellis's put up along the wall and want to grow some ivy in the next few weeks. I would like to get a mixture of different colours etc to brighten it up. I am afraid though that it will find it hard to grow as not getting much sun. any advice appreciated. Seen ivy in woodies 2 plants for €15.00. Can you get cheaper?

    Ivy is very-shade tolerant, its natural habitat is woods.

    I just removed it from my house. It looks good but requires cutting back each summer. I took it down because it had a massive root growing into the drains, a shame really.


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