As soon as I heard about an ivy removal request I shook my head. Here we go.
The renters in the unit were concerned about the ivy growing into the building envelope but sometimes it’s just an excuse to plant something else. And I don’t mind that because landscapes shouldn’t stay static.
It’s perfectly OK to remove plants and try something new. If you move into a rental unit and you hate ivy, then make some changes.
Let’s take a look at the before picture.
Action required
I think the renters have a point. The ivy is growing out of its wooden border and it’s clearly on the building but it’s nothing shocking. It just takes a few minutes with hand snips to correct it. Assuming of course that you like spiders and rodents.
Removing ivy always uncovers several exciting spider species and small rodents, dead and alive. Spiders used to freak me out until I became a landscaper. Now I just move in with hand snips, quickly remove the ivy and move on. I normally brush spiders off my body but any persistence results in quick spider death. You only get one strike in the landscape.
Solution 1
My first attempt pushed the ivy back into its wooden border and off the building. Then, like a good professional, I pulled up the request e-mail to confirm everything. And as it turned out, they wanted the ivy totally removed.
Great! More spider encounters coming up!
Eradication
I made sure the ivy was completely removed, all furniture put back and before I left the patio got a clean-up blow. So far haven’t heard back from the residents so I’m assuming they like their newly reclaimed patio.
Hopefully they will plant something else in the bed because nature and I both abhor empty garden spaces. Left open, we’ll get opportunistic weeds moving in. It’s much better to use the space and plant something. Anything.
So, remember, it’s OK to make changes in your gardens by removing ivy from your walls and ground. Definitely try something new but be ready for whatever makes a home under your ivy.
