English Ivy, Fast Growing Ground Cover
English Ivy – Fast Growing Ground Cover Or Wall Cover
My garden was frosted today. The roof was covered in ice and the water in the birdbath was frozen. So was my newly planted Lavender and my Hydrangea which was still waiting in its pot, its beautiful blooms, frozen. Such are the dangers of early purchasing. Everything else seems okay though and I’m hoping the Lavender and Hydrangea with pull through with only singe marks on the leaves to tell the tale.
Despite the cold, the garden was alive with the sound of American Robins, just arrived. There were dozens of these orange breasted beauties, all of them in a high state of excitement. What does this have to do with fast growing ground cover? Well, I went to see what treasure they had found and discovered that they were gobbling down purple English Ivy berries.
English Ivy is a fast growing ground cover or wall cover or any cover you want it to be. In my garden it covers the wall of my courtyard. Years ago, I went to a courtyard restaurant and was enchanted by the ivy covered walls so imagine my delight when I saw it growing in the same way in my new house. It looks so old world romantic. In my African garden I had it growing over the shed, making it look like a fairy tale house.
We had to give it a trim in early summer when it just took off but it was well behaved for the rest of the year and stayed green all winter long.
In late fall the bees found its insignificant looking flowers and were intoxicated by them. I had the buzz of happy bees for several weeks as they collected the pollen high above the wall.
English Ivy will grow anywhere and in great profusion so one has to keep it in check.Today I was pulling strands out of my brick courtyard floor but it has taken all year to get there. Ivy is a fast growing ground cover if you want quick cover under trees or next to walls and, what’s more, it’s a shade loving ground cover and a sun lover too, growing equally well in either spot and it’s evergreen. There are quite a few varieties and I’ve just taken a cutting of a smaller leafed, variegated one. Most of all, much to my delight, it provides food for birds late into the fall and in late winter when other food is scarce, a treat for my bird crazy daughter.
Happy gardening and don’t forget your sunscreen.There’s so much skin cancer about, you must protect your skin.
By the way, here is a link to a list of gopher resistant plants:http://www.groundcoversandgardening.com/gopher resistant plants.
If you want to buy plants that deer probably won’t eat, look here.
