Ivy bed being taken over by weeds

[swdavison]

I have a bed of english ivy that used to be quite dense and luxuriant. Over the last few years it has become sparser, and many weeds are intruding. Can anyone suggest what I might do about that?

The ivy bed is under a couple of oak trees. For 15 or 20 years it has been able to swallow up all the leaves each fall with no apparent ill effects. It is in shade most of the day, gets some tree-filtered sun in the afternoons.

Thanks for any suggestions...

Stowe Davison

[John McWilliams]

Have you inspected closely for mites, thrips, etc.? One way I do this is take a cutting and put it in a tightly sealed zip lock bag, and examine in several times over several days.