This is the second post in my survey of plants found in my Dorset garden. I intend to cover everything, including unwanted intruders, which is the category ivy falls into. Sort of.
Ivy grows in several place in the garden, both along the ground and up the conifers along the eastern boundary. It's not a major nuisance at the moment, but I do need to cut it back from time to time, when it spreads beyond the spaces where I tolerate it.
Ivy is the common name for hedera, according to Wikipedia. There are around 15 different species and I'm guessing that what's in my garden is hedera helix, the common ivy.
There seems to have been some debate about the damage that ivy causes to trees by growing up the trunk. According to the RHS, ivy is not a problem on healthy trees, as it is not parasitic. It is good for wildlife, creating cover for birds and insects.
Ivy usually only reaches the top of trees that are dead or dying, so it can be an indicator of tree health. In my garden it's grown high into several conifers, probably assisted by their having been heavily cut back on the eastern side (by neighbours, into whose garden they were growing). This left the tree open on the one side, allowing ivy to thrive.
The conifers are being felled over time, so I have no problem with the ivy growing into them. It comes down when they do.
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