Is it too much to ask ivies to grow on my outside wall like on some pretty English cottages?
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Apparently it’s considered invasive in North America. Ugh
@farah Definitely. If you get it started, you'll have a hard time changing your mind.
It's very destructive too, it can find it's way through any little cracks and damage brick work, foundations and with most US homes being built out of timber... it'll pretty much destroy it.
Looks all romantic and all.
But they never mention the trimming and maintaince. Keeping it off the roof or from covering the windows. Having to remove the tentacles from window frames and gutters. The piling the cuttings up and taking them away.
And they never fall in love with the gardener /maintenance man do they? The one doing the physical work. Always some fancy good looking lord with servants and a massive landholding. Who hasn't done a hour of hard work in his life.
@farah There's some rich person house along my walking trail that's just about covered in I don't know what, but it's impressive.
And my most important thought is "oh my that must keep the direct sunlight right off you imagine how cool it is!"
And I feel sad for the terrible building I live in.
I grew up on Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy books and there was always an old ivy covered mansion.
When I first got a house, I wanted ivy, but I got a long lecture on how bad it is on brickwork and so I had to go with an arbour instead.
@AnnieBuddy I have to go that route too I guess. We do have a rather bare pergola. I wonder what kind of ivy would work in my region
Most climbers become a problem. English ivy, morning glory, honeysuckle, wisteria, etc. You could go native species with wild grapes, or pretty, like clematis, for the pergola.
@Just_Tired @AnnieBuddy The previous owners planted cypress vines. They are so annoying and grow everywhere. I hate them with passion of thousand suns
In the end I went with clematis and wisteria for my climbing plants because they have great flowers and the bees and butterflies like them.
There's always grapes, too. I love the Italian gardens that use grape vines for shade over pergolas.
@AnnieBuddy I don’t think wisteria will withstand winter in the region that I live. I might give clematis a try
@farah we planted hops just for that!