skip to main content

English Ivy question

15 years ago

Greetings.

I'm a visitor from the Bonsai Forum and would like help with my project to make a miniature bonsai out of a piece of English Ivy. I have a large pot of this vine on my apartment balcony. I bought it in the spring in a 6" pot and moved it to a 10" pot after its roots started coming out the bottom. Now I'm thinking that a part of it could be turned into a mini bonsai so my question is: Can I separate it now or must I wait until next spring? Can I move it indoors for the winter? I live in Asheville N.C. at 2,000ft altitude, our winters are mild, hardly any snow, but the temps do get to freezing so protection for the roots would be needed if it stays outdoors. If I leave the big pot outside, can I bring the bonsai candidate indoors for the winter?

I would appreciate any advicemembers of this Forum can offer.

Krys

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

timestocome
15 years ago
English ivy is pretty sturdy. I grew it outside in the Boston area so I don't imagine winter in NC will bother it much.

I haven't tried it indoors but it's so easy to grow outside I think it'd do fine.
krystyna1937
Original Author
15 years ago
Hi timestocome,
Thank you for your reply. I think I will leave it out there, especially since ants have moved into the pot. I'm going to get some ant traps to put on the soil and around the base. Then I'll just take the small one inside to protect the roots during really cold spells.

Krys
Related Discussions
English Ivy around Tree
Q
Comments (9)
Significant translocation of glyphosate through soil is rare and most often occurs where excess concentration or over application is used. However, this is a different situation!!! The OP has already pulled up and exposed a bunch or roots. IMO, treating with glyphosate or other herbicide at this point is probably out of the question. Now, I'd probably just use repeated mechanical removal until the ivy gives up, or at least until it is significantly reduced and freshly exposed tree roots are not involved.
...See More
English Ivy (or other evergreen vine?) question
Q
Comments (17)
My climbing hydrangea was slow to establish and it does go totally naked in the winter, so no privacy factor there. Mine's on a 9' high solid timber retaining wall so has plenty of surface to grab onto, not sure how it would do on open, wrought iron lattice. Again, not sure about your zone - and too lazy to look it up! - what about five leaf akebia (aka chocolate vine)? It's semi-evergreen, grows very fast and is most talented at twining itself up and all over w/little guidance. I have one plant on each east and west walls of a wood fence (4' solid slat topped w/1' of lattice) - each plant now spans about 15-20 linear feet in each direction from the base. It has climbed up bird feeder supports so now they're in leafy grottos and I do have to watch that it doesn't hitchhike on to overhanging tree limbs - small maintenance price to pay for a great vine! If hardy in your zone, this might be worth a look.
...See More
English Ivy question---please don't YELL at me.
Q
Comments (21)
Yep. It was one of my biggest gardening mistakes. The thing is, when you plant it initially it grows so slowly you actually celebrate when it starts to rip. You always PLAN to keep it contained, and when it gets to just where you want it, then it is usually too late. LOL. When it hits maturity, it goes on steroids. Plants cannot survive if they are severed from their roots, so I'd suggest taking a good sized lopper and severing the vines just above ground level on the trees you wish to eradicate it from. My husband has mowed the ivy bed from lleh in our front yard. Destroy the clippings in an appropriate manner. What you have left are very short zagillions of rooted stems and THAT is what you round-up. It usually takes several applications exactly how the label describes, before you see results. By mowing it down first, you have a lot less area to cover .. however since the herbicide is absorbed through the leaves, this is also a drawback. I faced the same situation with Japanese honeysuckle on my property before I got married. It was already there when I bought the land, but in one small spot. By the time I moved ten years later I was taking machetes to it to keep it from enveloping my orchard. It was hideous.
...See More
English Ivy Removal
Q
Comments (3)
Any and all roots of Ivies need to be dug out or they will sprout new growth. The safest method of removal is to dig. Ivies seem to have an ability to stop the spread of the herbicide, which will contribute to the pollution of your environment, to the roots so often herbicides are not very effective in controlling Ivy.
...See More
italiangirl74
15 years ago
krys, I have several potted regular green English ivy outside. They are doing wonderful. I bring them in every winter, I am sure they will be willing to take the cold. I know because the ones growing on properties over the winters always do well even with the snow and ice and cold temps of South central Pennsylvania. However, they are so pretty, i bring them in every winter, wrap all the new growth around and around, the vine is over 20 feet long now hanging on the one from a hook and put it in my window with light, even shade during the winter, then take back out in the spring. I will be leaving one outside this winter due to a bird family who built their nest in the middle of the English Ivy pot and left droppings all over the poor plant. It seemed to like it though, but this one won't be coming in this winter. Yes outside or inside in winter. Works out well. Never did bonsai with it though. I have a bonsai book which i am sure has English Ivy bonsai details in it. I will have to check. Ciao, Maggie
krystyna1937
Original Author
15 years ago
Hi Italian Girl,
In that case, I think I'll leave mine outside since it doesn't get all that cold here.
About the bonsai: I've seen photos of such "trees" . It can be done because the trunk can get quite thick after a time but it's probably more likely to get that way if it is growing in the ground.
There was once some English Ivy growing up the side of a house we owned some 30 years ago. I pulled it down but couldn't get at the roots. It kept growing back until finally the base looked like an old tree, over an inch in diameter. If I had known then what to do, I would have dug it up and trained it into a bonsai. But I only took up this art about 20 years ago :-)
Thank you for sharing your experience. By the way, the ants seem to be all gone since I put out the traps a few days ago.
Krys

Related Stories

GROUND COVERS Native Alternatives to English Ivy, Japanese Pachysandra and Periwinkle

By Curtis Adams

These shade-loving ground covers are good for the environment and say something about where you are

Houzz Interview: Iro (aka Ivy Style) from Busy Bee's Blog

GARDENING GUIDES Lay of the Landscape: English-Style Gardens

By Marianne Lipanovich

Stately and formal meet natural and romantic in English-inspired landscapes

KITCHEN DESIGN 9 Questions to Ask When Planning a Kitchen Pantry

By Susan Redman

Avoid blunders and get the storage space and layout you need by asking these questions before you begin

EXTERIORS Curb Appeal Feeling a Little Off? Some Questions to Consider

By Becky Harris

Color, scale, proportion, trim ... 14 things to think about if your exterior is bugging you

MOST POPULAR 8 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Meeting With Your Designer

By Kelli Kaufer Designs

Thinking in advance about how you use your space will get your first design consultation off to its best start

GARDENING GUIDES 9 Holly and Ivy Plants for Good Tidings in the Garden

Spread Christmas joy all year round with the gorgeous foliage and bright berries of these evergreen plants

COTTAGE STYLE Houzz Tour: Simplicity a Virtue in an English Country Cottage

By Natalie Wain

Muted colors and a mix of old and new transform a 19th-century cottage into a clean and cozy family abode

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Explore a Magical Restored English Garden

History comes alive in the gardens of a Rochester townhouse, filled with sculptural yew, a topiary parterre and an archway-draped pond

HOUZZ TOURS My Houzz: English Cottage Style Graces a Home Bathed in Light

By Cynthia Lynn Photography

Starting with a bare lot, a downsizing Illinois couple builds a fitting home that welcomes the sun everywhere you turn

Sponsored

More Discussions

I will be growing more Ipomoea purpurea this summer

5

Ipomoea nil recently grown

1