Quote:
Originally Posted by Ganoderma
great points!
turtle, my mention of Ivy was intended for indoor use, i totally agree how bad it can be. actually all the plants i mentioned were aimed at around the house ornamental.
and really good points on native species...ideally thats the way to go, but not always the easiest (and people do like easy)
here is a picture of one of many large douglas fir trees at my grandmothers house in BC canada. the ivy there are about 9" in diameter and go 100+ feet up. its also about 60 years old (the ivy, not the doug. firs). i used to climb up it as a kid. about 30 trees in total like this, but over the years they have been getting people to kill it.
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Yes; kill the ivy!! Kill it all!!!
No really; do kill it as it's shortening the life of those trees and limiting the normal creatures & plants that inhabit Doug Firs & their environs. Over in the Horticultural thread I start a discussion of my own learning & battle with this destructive & invasive plant. I skip on & off of the ivy , but it starts with
this post. First step though is to saw through those vines at belly level which will kill everything above the cut. It will take months to show signs of dying, but it receives no nourishment or water from the clinging root-like structures that hold it to the tree. While that's dying, dig up all the roots and dispose of them at a wood recyclers.
If I were not so averse to acquiring material goods, including plants, I might have an inclination to start raising native plants en masse for some manner of distribution. I at one time was caring for over 150 bonsai, many of which I collected in the wild, but it was too much work & I either set them free in the forest or gave them over to adoptive families. Damned if I don't & damned if I do.
