Years ago, when I bought my new home, my daughter, a botanist, came to visit. She saw a sprig of ivy growing in a flower bed. She jumped up and pulled it out, saying it’s a very invasive plant that should never be allowed to grow in yards. Years later, she did her doctor’s thesis on cape ivy, a huge invasive plant problem for coastal areas in the United States.
Sunday, I spent a half hour cutting ivy off the sidewalk in a front of a home near me where the renters don’t seem to have time for yard work. One neighbor told me neighbors are complaining that they can’t walk on the sidewalk there because the ivy is almost entirely grown over the sidewalk.
I filled my yard waste container, which wasn’t a problem as it would be picked up the following day.
Another concern is that the ivy is growing over and under the fence in the side yard.
On Wednesday, I looked the other way down the street where there’s a house that no one has lived in for a long time. I usually clear off the sidewalk there once or twice a year. I noticed ivy growing over the sidewalk there, too, at the edge of the property. So I spent another half hour cutting ivy and raking up leaves.
However, I filled my yard waste container again, and this time it’s a problem because it won’t be picked up for 10 days.
My recommendation: Don’t plant any ivy in your yard. It’s very invasive and difficult to get rid of. I received good advice years ago from my daughter. She now works for the California Invasive Plant Council.
