The life cycle of ivy...

I read a US forum thread about common ivy once. I've never forgotten this salient cobservation: A homeowner controls it for 20 years, then gets too old to do so, the ivy gets out of control, the house is sold, eventually the new tenant realises its a problem and does a massive cutback....and so on and on.

...but perhaps we have an even greater problem here with the spread of seedlings and their occult development, both in "gardens", many of which nowadays are rarely tended or even observed by either tenant owner, and in forests and other native habitats.

As with other invasive plants, in landscaped parks ivy is often "maintained" (for better or worse), ie intermittently pruned to stop it actually damaging buildings or obstructing access.

Natural urban "reserves", however, having been inherited by various successive "management" bodies as a liability, and not being seen as of economic value, have no surveying or maintenance budget.

But perhaps roadsides and uncultivated farmland and bush pockets are just as much at risk. Not getting out in the countryside myself, I don't know.

Posted on July 30, 2018 06:20 AM by kaipatiki_naturewatch