Ivy

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Three lots of next door neighbours ago planted an ivy close to our boundary which of course grew up my side of the semi as well. Didn't much mind as it looked quite nice.

Current neighbour recently asked me if I'd mind them pruning it. I replied it was actually theirs, so they didn't have to ask.

With that information, they got a man in who cut it off at the roots and removed it from their side of the wall leaving the bit on mine to die off. (rather like the way some paint a wall with a nice straight line where the boundary is) Which will take some removing and disposing of.

What's the legal position? Only out of interest as I see little of my neighbours but they are pleasant enough.

[Owain]

You didn't give permission for the man to come on your property and cut the ivy your side of the boundary.

Legally you can cut it and return the bits to the neighbour.

Can you fix a yogurt-pot of weedkiller to the bottom of the remaining stems and see if that's drawn up into the ivy and kills it? Once it's dead it will probably pull off the wall in one mesh and burn quite easily. Personally I've burned it whilst it still on the wall, but that was for garden walls not house walls :-)

Owain

[The Natural Philosopher]

Not worth worrying about,

It will be dead and gone in 6 months and then a pressure wash will remove any residual s**nk

[Chris Hogg]

Don't know the legal position in detail, but it's their ivy, and in this hot weather it will shrive in a week or so provided it's had its trunk severed, and you can then pull it off your wall fairly easily and give it back to them.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I wasn't asked. Had I known they intended killing it of course I'd have given permission.

It's already well and truly dead.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yes. Actually it takes a fair bit longer than that BUT it will die. It wont fall off but once dead the adhesion to the wall is much much less.

[ss]

I planted some ivy a few years back then decided I didnt want it so cut the `trunk` most of it was still hanging on the gable end 10 years later although to be fair it pulled off easily enough, I just didnt want to go up a ladder for the higher stuff.

[Brian Gaff]

Sounds like the removal person was an idiot. I do know that Ivy eventually can destroy a wall, at least according to a make over program i was unfortunate enough to hear about two months back. its those little things it puts into the wall to hold itself up. Brian

[Tim Watts]

Yes - once the tendrils have shrilled and dried, it will pull off pretty easily.

[Nightjar]

According to the RHS, it is only a problem if the wall is not sound to begin with.

Colin Bignell

[Martin Brown]

ISTR in theory you are supposed to offer the prunings to them as firewood/kindling. In practice almost no one ever bothers or wants it.

If you want a nice replacement climber try hydrangea petiolaris which is self attaching but much less vigorous and damaging to brickwork - nice flowers too and will tolerate a north facing wall.

[stuart noble]

I took a huge ivy, some 30 years old at least, off a Victorian yellow brick wall with lime mortar pointing. No damage to the bricks, but it did get under the slate tiles, which was a bigger problem.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

I prefer no easy ladders for bugs and crawlies at all.

[ss]

Another reason I `killed` mine was the airbrick vents about a foot above ground level had shoots growing into them, when I pulled these out they must have been about 20 feet long, I would imagine searching for water, hell knows where they went to under the house but I sold the house last year and never did find out.

[Tim W]

The legal position is that no court will waste it's time with it.

Tim W

[Roberts]

I am surprised nobody has suggested an angle grinder! My climbing hydrangea is almost as much trouble as ivy. I cut it back to keep it out of the tiles and now it has spread sideways covering a large part of the side of the house. I live in a semi detached house!

Robbie >

[djc]

Perhaps not a great risk in the English climate but: even a plant ivy will contain a lot of dry dead leaves and in a dry spell could be a fire risk. My neighbour was burning some garden rubbish when he set fire to the next doors wall. By the time he had turned on the garden hose it was already obvious the fire brigade needed calling.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Good point.

[Andy Dingley]

I've got a similar problem (although it's my ivy). Clearing the remains of = the severed, dead ivy from the top of the wall would (if done to commercial= standards) require scaffolding to reach it, above the ladder-unfriendly pr= otruding fragile roof of the lean-to below. I can't even get to it with a c= herry picker, as the ground is too soft and uneven.

If this was someone else's ivy causing me this trouble, I'd be well unhappy= .