Help save my ivy!

jimgironde

We have a tall cob garden wall (Victorian townhouse) which is 8 ft high. Against is Ivy which might be 100 years old. I try and keep it tidy every year. To give some height and privacy it tops the wall by a couple of feet.

Last weekend the storms got the better of it and the whole lot has peeled of and is lying on the ground. We are talking a 20ft run of it, it has also taken the very top of the wall with it. We want to try and save it.

If it is logistically possible, if we managed to get it back up and pinned in place on the wall would it "take" again.

I say logistically possible because it weighs a ton. It has come away clean in a sheet with all its roots that were clinging to the wall intact, or would it not knit back? 

nutcutlet

I don't think it would stick back on but it would regrow if you cut it right back

Fairygirl

That's a shame Jim. I'd say you'd be wasting your time unfortunately. Only new growth will attach so the rest would have to be fixed in place very securely with something like vine eyes and wire, and with the weight of it, I wouldn't be confident of any success. Assuming it's all still rooted at the base, you could cut it back to a couple of feet and fix that in place  securely, then put a wire,or netting, at the top of that  (close to the wall)  for new growth to cling onto. Once that establishes, it would carry on doing it's thing by itself. It just needs to be guided onto the wall initially. You may need to tie a few strands in from time to time to keep them heading the right way.  

Duncan Blackwell

Might not work, but if you can get hold of some roofing lath, you might be able to hold the ivy back against the wall and screw the lath into the wall to give the ivy some help to reattach.

fidgetbones

I'd cut it down and let it regrow.With a hefty rootstock it shouldn't take long.

nutcutlet

So would I, it would never look right again otherwise

Busy-Lizzie

So would I, the ivy that I don't want on my wall grows back really fast each time I cut it down.

gardenjeannie

Me too. I had to remove some that had grown into the mortar, roof, chimney stack and loft space of a stone house we bought once. We couldn't quite reach the top of the chimney with the scaffolding, and it continued to grow strongly from the aerial roots, even though it had been severed from the primary root. I would cut it back hard and persuade the new growth in the right direction. It will look neater than before, be less weighty, and will grow fast. But prune hard ahything that is not necessary so it is less likely to damage the wall with it's weight in a similar scenario.It might also be worth adding some support for it at the top of the wall, if you want it taller, so that it;s own weight is less likely to tear it all away again.

Dovefromabove

I agree, in my long experience of ivy it will not re-attach -  this is what happens to ivy and it will grow again from the base.  

You're fortunate that it happened this way and peeled off - many times the combination of wind and the weight of the ivy will bring a wall down.  

Cut the ivy back at the base and use the opportunity to do any repairs to the wall that are necessary - this will prolong its life and enable it to cope with the weight of future growths of ivy for many years to come.  

This is an opportunity - grasp it 

jimgironde

Thanks for all your replies and the consensus is one course of action.

 

thanks again