Controlling ivy on house wall.

hole in my lovelywall

The ivy looks great, but it's a part time job keeping it under control.
Two storey house so I don't always feel secure cutting it myself.

Is there a product that will stop it reaching the eaves?
Some sort of trellis maybe that will direct it away from the roof?

looksee

Very short answer - no. Sorry! Maybe you should consider getting someone to come and keep it under control for you.

hole in my lovelywall

Thanks for the reply.
Someone should invent something!
I actually find it hard to get someone for such a small job.

looksee

Controlling ivy on a two storey house is really not that small a job. Get some recommendations from people around for garden maintenance firms who could do it once or twice a year. The only real alternative is to get the ivy removed, which would be quite a big job, but would save you the difficulty of getting someone to do it.

Discodog

Very few gardeners will do it because they have to use a hoist or scaffold tower. Both need space to set up & are a cost to hire. Clearing Ivy off a wall using a ladder is madness.

hole in my lovelywall

Thanks for the replies.
I don't want to get rid of the ivy, just trim it where it meets the roof.
I've kept on top of it up to now, but I'm not confident on a ladder anymore.
It'd only take a couple of hours tidy up.

looksee

In order for someone else to do it they would really have to take it down maybe a foot from the gutters. If you let it get to the very top of the wall you have no idea how much has sneaked into the attic/ under the roof. I find it hard to believe it can be done in a couple of hours. I have some Ivy which grows on a ground level wall and its a nuisance to keep under control.

Discodog

The problem is that the couple of hours labour will be greatly increased by the tower or hoist hire.