It's usually around September until my English Ivy starts looking decent. And
then winter's just around the corner.
The ivy takes a pretty good hit every winter. Is there anyway to protect it? I
think someone mentioned covering it with burlap.
Is this the only way to protect it?

In article ,
c (TOM KAN PA) wrote:

It's usually around September until my English Ivy starts looking decent. And
then winter's just around the corner.
The ivy takes a pretty good hit every winter. Is there anyway to
protect it? I
think someone mentioned covering it with burlap.
Is this the only way to protect it?

Criminy, how cold do your winters get? I thought English ivy was impervious.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

On 13 Oct 2003 17:17:53 GMT, c (TOM KAN PA) wrote:

It's usually around September until my English Ivy starts looking decent. And
then winter's just around the corner.
The ivy takes a pretty good hit every winter. Is there anyway to protect it? I
think someone mentioned covering it with burlap.
Is this the only way to protect it?


Pile leaves on it? I'm much more concerned about protecting my roses
than English ivy. I would not be concerned until single-digit temps
are here.

On 13 Oct 2003 17:17:53 GMT, c (TOM KAN PA) wrote:

It's usually around September until my English Ivy starts looking decent. And
then winter's just around the corner.
The ivy takes a pretty good hit every winter. Is there anyway to protect it? I
think someone mentioned covering it with burlap.
Is this the only way to protect it?


Where are you? We are in zone 5 and the only thing that we put on our
ivy is snow. It thrives.

John

My Ivy thrives, or I should say, survives the winter. But in the spring,
there's more brown leaves than green. And after cleaning up the bank, there's a
lot of bare spots. Like I said, it's September until it looks good again.

In article ,
c (TOM KAN PA) wrote:

My Ivy thrives, or I should say, survives the winter. But in the spring,
there's more brown leaves than green. And after cleaning up the bank,
there's a
lot of bare spots. Like I said, it's September until it looks good again.

In HOT climates ivy NEEDS shade or will do poorly, but winter per se
oughtn't be such a problem. I have dwarf English ivies growing in cracks
of a stone wall with very little soil under firs where it is dry & dark &
what soil there is is very compacted, & even weeds won't grow there, plus
it's exposed to high winter winds that rip up & down the hillside. The ivy
does great in this harsh condition. The stuff is fully evergreen
year-round, never dies back even a little. I got rid of all the fullsized
ivy that was rampant & weedy, & now have only comparatively restrained
dwarf ivys & lacey ones & yellow ones, but they're all English ivy
cultivars, & hardy little devils shiny & handsome any time. When I planted
them I thought the conditions were so lousy only a couple of the tiny
starts would "take" (I could only use tiny starts because they had to fit
into narrow cracks between rocks). But every single tiny pot took hold &
though they grew slow for a long time, they now require periodic trimming
back.

Our lowest temperatures aren't terribly low, however, given Puget Sound's
London-like microclimate, & perhaps your cold months are minus-something
which my plants never experience. Your experience with the ivy makes me
curious, though, & it sounds awful that it would take the whole of spring
to autumn to bounce back from winter damage. I've just always had the
impression that this was eternal stuff that made no demands & simply
always looks really good. Is there a chance you have something like
Algerian or Persian ivy that don't like to get cold? Or are you actually
in a hot zone & have them overly sunned? Inland & in the southwest, direct
sun can be too much for ivy even where not hot. Here in the northwest
sunlight comes in at such a slant ivy will take even direct sun without
suffering, but even here likes shady spots best.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

Don't force me to tell you how to do the fertility dance again!!!!


TOM KAN PA wrote in message
...
It's usually around September until my English Ivy starts looking decent.
And
then winter's just around the corner.
The ivy takes a pretty good hit every winter. Is there anyway to protect
it? I
think someone mentioned covering it with burlap.
Is this the only way to protect it?

It's usually around September until my English Ivy starts looking decent.
And
then winter's just around the corner.
The ivy takes a pretty good hit every winter. Is there anyway to protect
it? I
think someone mentioned covering it with burlap.
Is this the only way to protect it?

I can't say as I've ever had to "protect" English Ivy and I'm in Z6A. It's
about as hardy as it gets -- unless you're upwards of Z2 or Z3, I'd be
surprised if the cold was the issue. Two things come to mind in keeping
English Ivy -- proper fertilization and remembering to give 'im water during
the winter if it's a bit dry.

James

Actually, many types of english ivy are rather tender - nearly all the big
leaved forms and the really pretty varieagated forms. Baltic is the variety
most often planted in areas that get below zero temperatures, and while it
survives, it does burn if there are weeks of bitterly cold dry winter
weather with not much snow cover. (which would be normal in the midwest for
instance) I would say that you might need to water it well before the ground
freezes, and maybe spread pine needles or other like material over it -
something that allows rain and a little filtered sun in, so that it's not
completely covered/smothered.
"paghat" wrote in message
news
In article ,
c (TOM KAN PA) wrote:

It's usually around September until my English Ivy starts looking
decent. And
then winter's just around the corner.
The ivy takes a pretty good hit every winter. Is there anyway to
protect it? I
think someone mentioned covering it with burlap.
Is this the only way to protect it?

Criminy, how cold do your winters get? I thought English ivy was
impervious.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

paghat wrote:

In article ,
c (TOM KAN PA) wrote:

My Ivy thrives, or I should say, survives the winter. But in the spring,
there's more brown leaves than green. And after cleaning up the bank,
there's a
lot of bare spots. Like I said, it's September until it looks good again.

In HOT climates ivy NEEDS shade or will do poorly, but winter per se
oughtn't be such a problem. I have dwarf English ivies growing in cracks
of a stone wall with very little soil under firs where it is dry & dark &
what soil there is is very compacted, & even weeds won't grow there, plus
it's exposed to high winter winds that rip up & down the hillside. The ivy
does great in this harsh condition. The stuff is fully evergreen
year-round, never dies back even a little. I got rid of all the fullsized
ivy that was rampant & weedy, & now have only comparatively restrained
dwarf ivys & lacey ones & yellow ones, but they're all English ivy
cultivars, & hardy little devils shiny & handsome any time. When I planted
them I thought the conditions were so lousy only a couple of the tiny
starts would "take" (I could only use tiny starts because they had to fit
into narrow cracks between rocks). But every single tiny pot took hold &
though they grew slow for a long time, they now require periodic trimming
back.

Our lowest temperatures aren't terribly low, however, given Puget Sound's
London-like microclimate, & perhaps your cold months are minus-something
which my plants never experience. Your experience with the ivy makes me
curious, though, & it sounds awful that it would take the whole of spring
to autumn to bounce back from winter damage. I've just always had the
impression that this was eternal stuff that made no demands & simply
always looks really good. Is there a chance you have something like
Algerian or Persian ivy that don't like to get cold? Or are you actually
in a hot zone & have them overly sunned? Inland & in the southwest, direct
sun can be too much for ivy even where not hot. Here in the northwest
sunlight comes in at such a slant ivy will take even direct sun without
suffering, but even here likes shady spots best.

-paghat the ratgirl


I think phagat has hit got it about right,.. here in its native habitat
ivy would be covered by a muclh of leaves and orgnic debris about now
which will protect roots and stems.. A quick look on the web reveals
hardiness to -10 to 20 degrees C.

Some cultivars will be more tender.. Breeding in plants 'tends' to
increase some weakness in exchange for other characteristics when
compared to species parents.

Like phatgat I now am into the cultivars which seem to be doing well..
Ordered here from our National collection which can be found at:
http://www.fibrex.co.uk/

Good stuff, and very tough once established (and thats the important
bit.. ) Note also the cultivation notes at the above address, they
recommend planting with lime chips.. (crumbled lime morter or old
concrete would probably do as well)
//
Jim
North London, England, UK

"TOM KAN PA" wrote in message
...
It's usually around September until my English Ivy starts looking decent.
And
then winter's just around the corner.
The ivy takes a pretty good hit every winter. Is there anyway to protect
it? I
think someone mentioned covering it with burlap.
Is this the only way to protect it?

I have same problem with ivy on northern banks away from house. I'm trying
to get it to grow vigorously enough to revive in the spring, i.e. fill in
the banks before winter. Don't have real solution but other question I have
is are the damned deer eating it in the winter? The rats with hooves attack
everything except the plants on my 10 ft. deck
Frank

Don't force me to tell you how to do the fertility dance again!!!!

____Reply Separator_____

Yeah, you can tell me how to do it again. But if you think I'm going outside in
the middle of winter in the raw, getting more raw, doing the dance, you got
another think coming.