need help with new backyard - shade and ivy

17 years ago

Hello,

I'm fairly new to gardening and my wife and I are about to purchase a new home. The backyard is a bit worrisome because we are not sure what to do with it. It is pretty shady with a bunch of trees at the back end and a covered deck at the other. The center is brick patio with a fireplace and it's surrounded on 3 sides by ivy which looks to be well maintained an pruned.

We have a 4 year old girl who loves to play and another baby on the way. So we are not sure if we should tear up the ivy and make it a yard for children to play in or embrace it and turn it into a shade garden (which i have no clue how to begin). It's not a huge backyard and we like the fireplace which can probably be moved back towards the deck to make more room in the yard.

We hear that removing the ivy could be a nightmare and a lot of work so we really don't know...any suggestions are welcome!

I think a small waterfall/pond in the back would be nice. My wife seems to think that not having a play area for the children would be that big of a deal. Below are links to a couple pics of the yard.

Thanks!

Jason

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Comments (5)

Iris GW
17 years ago
I don't consider that ivy to be well maintained! It has been allowed to cover any surface that wasn't concrete.

I'd say it's a danger to children - lots of things (snakes, mice, etc.) can live in there; kids will be kids one day and get too close (or in it).

Parcel it up so that you just work on a section at a time (do the most nearby section first) and work on getting rid of it (or hire some laborers). Take a weed whacker and get rid of the foliage first so you can see what you are doing. Once you make cuts in it, controlled applications of herbicide may help, but most people do it by hand/shovel.
seasonednurserywoman
17 years ago
Wow! That's some serious Ivy! If you use an herbicide like Round-Up, it needs to be applied to the foliage. I would wait a week, reapply and then rip it out. Good Luck! That doesn't look like any fun.
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yardmom
17 years ago
I agree that the ivy needs to be removed. Once gone, a play area for the kids sounds like a great idea. I would wait on the pond/waterfall untill they get a bit older and there is less chance of an accident. Garden beds and plants can be added as you develop their play areas and needs. They won't be young for long!
newbiehavinfun
17 years ago
We had a difficult time removing ivy (in fact, we're still in the process). We hired people to bring in a Kubota and rip out as much as possible. Then, we had to cut the large pieces with a machete and spray RoundUp into the cuts (don't bother spraying the leaves, the waxiness protects them). If you decide to spray instead of rip it up, you need to damage the leaves with a weedwacker before spraying or it will not penetrate.

You might not have to hire someone, a pickaxe/shovel would work well. We had about 1/2 acre of the stuff and we're still removing it from our ancient maples. The elderly gentleman next door says that no one did anything with the ivy for at least 60 years.

That being said, it was definitely worth it. We found so much debris in the post-ivy areas that could have hurt our dogs or children (broken glass, asbestos tile, etc.). Now there's so much more room to run around.

Good luck and happy ivy hunting!
newbiehavinfun
17 years ago
I almost forgot--as for plantings, you can't go wrong with:

hostas
heucheras
ajuga
rhododendron/azaleas
gold leaf plant (aucuba)
ferns

All of these are pretty easy to grow and do well in zone 7 so I assume zone 6 as well. Ajuga is a groundcover that can stand some light foot traffic but does not become invasive (liriope would be a good choice for that as well).

By the way, I love your outdoor fireplace!