Hedera helix , The English Ground Ivy and how to get rid of it
 (Read 500+ times)
By Glory Lennon
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Many a new home owner will neglect to really take a good look at what gardening nightmare they might be inheriting with the purchase of their home. They might see the tangled mess of ground ivy and dismissively say, “That won’t be so bad to get rid of.” The poor deluded people.
Ground Ivy or English Ivy, botanically known as Hedera helix, is a vine, evergreen and woody, hardy in USDA zones 5-10, preferring shade but doing equally well in sun which can grow an astonishing 40 feet long either on the ground or climbing and clinging to anything in its way by aerial root-like protrusions. It is used primarily as a ground cover for hard to mow places, on sloping areas and where there is entirely too much shade for anything else to grow well.
It is a perfect plant to keep soil from eroding as its roots go deep and it roots itself as it goes along making a thick mat anywhere from just inches off the ground to a few feet if it is not pruned annually. It also has a tendency to climb into trees which some folks find charming while others abhor. English Ivy has been known to choke out less hardy trees and many saplings.
The English Ground Ivy is the famous- or shall we say infamous - ivy which makes up the terror that is the Big Green Monster, the back wall at Wrigley field in Chicago, where more baseballs have gone to die than can be calculated. (Legend has it even a few players have gone into this great tangle never to reemerge. Hopefully that remains only a legend) Planted back around the turn of the century by a group of well meaning girl scouts searching, no doubt, for a planting badge, the tiny cuttings grew to what is now reportedly some 4 feet thick. Yes, English Ivy is indeed a vigorous grower and can get quite easily out of hand if given the chance.
For some gardeners this is a good thing but for others, not so good. The Ivy league colleges got their name from this plant, after all, and everyone knows they just wouldn’t be the same without all that green growth around them. However, English Ground Ivy can become invasive and destructive, again if given free reign and allowed to do so.
So, how does one get rid of this aggressive Ground Ivy? The true answer and it is not a pleasant one, is with hard work, determination and perseverance. It can compete with the dandelion if that gives you any idea of what you are up against.
Some people resort to chemicals but being nature lovers we do not want to do that if at all possible and risk harming other plants, the soil or ourselves. Instead we get down on our hands and knees (while we’re down here we can say a little pray as it never really hurts to do so) and start cutting back, pulling out and digging out all visible and invisible roots. Like the Dandelion any trace of root will allow the plant to return so get out all you can digging deep as the roots do go quite a way in.
Once the area is cleared of the plant which can take quite a bit of time depending on how much you have to deal with, place a piece of black plastic sheeting over the spot holding it down on all sides either with rocks or bricks or long U-hooks and hope the lack of sun and water will kill any remaining plants as they emerge and hopefully any remaining roots before they pop out. Keep this on there for several weeks or maybe months just to make sure all is dead. If you think it looks entire too ugly to have this in your yard then you may want to cover it with decorative stones or another type of mulch. But if you do don’t be surprised it the Ground Ivy pokes right through the plastic and makes its un-welcomed appearance again.
English Ivy need not be a terror, however, if care is given to keep it in check. So, if you do inherit some English Ground Ivy or you want to plant some for an ivy league college look to your home just take care of it before it becomes a nuisance otherwise you’ll have a back breaking job ahead of you to get rid of it all.
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Author Bio Box: Glory Lennon
 For amusing short stories visit http://www.helium.com/users/32782. For an intriguing novelette-in-progress visit: http://www.myspace.com/glorygarden.
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