Our house is on almost 1 acre lot that is lightly wooded. The problem is the previous owners let the English Ivy take over – along with a smattering of multiflora rose, a bit Virginia creeper, and a few non-sterile Rose of Sharon.
The goal is to remove the nuisance plants and replace with native woodland plants. We hope to create a habitat that invites pollinators and native wildlife, while also hoping to put the booming mosquito population in check.
We’ve already made stead headway on removing the lawn ivy, replacing it with a grass and clover mix.
Any plant suggestions, ideas, resources are extremely welcome and appreciated. Any ideas for a small native (maybe flowering) tree to replace the Rose of Sharon is especially appreciated.
Location: Northeast Ohio, Zone 6
Here are some before and after photos of the progress we’re making:
by TheRadHamster
15 Comments
Any tips for ivy removal? My yard is full of it 🙁
That’s seriously impressive.
Respect. I did this in a much smaller area for my parents this year and I was beat.
Perhaps not intentional, but I am enjoying the marriage of two of my great loves in life: punk rock and destroying invasive plants.
Also: this is impressive work! Kudos to you.
That ivy better take warning!
Nice work. My back hurts just looking at it. Beautiful property.
What species of grass and clover are you planting? True clovers *Trifolium spp.* are native to Europe and Asia, not North America.
Also a quick reminder: Virginia creeper is native to Ohio, absolutely gorgeous, and great for wildlife.
Great job so far! Viburnums (some shady and some sunny species) get clusters of white flowers, followed by berries that will feed wildlife.If you don’t mind thorns, there are also several native roses, some are more bushy, others you could tie on a trellis. Plenty of woodland sedge if you want a grass alternative.
Looks great. Amazing job. I won a similar battle with periwinkle that was covering half an acre of our forested back yard by persistent hand pulling. It still makes me happy thinking about it. Now comes the fun part which is planting natives. The battle with new invasive never ends though! Im constantly fighting something.
Following, I’m also in NE Ohio. The amount of English ivy here is insane!!!
https://preview.redd.it/r26xywypwjsf1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fcb467f40745a773532f9220ca413091ca0fc2ea
I’ve also got a backyard with English ivy, Winter Creeper and Yellow Archangel carpeting it. I started sheet mulching on the sides of the house but if you have any tips on best methods I would take ANY in a heartbeat. Looking to do the exact same thing to restore a native woodland edge
i miss these
Nongardening suggestion check out setting up mosquito buckets next spring. Essentially just a five gallon bucket with water plus some yard clippings and a stick added in. And then add a 1/4 mosquito dunk to the bucket once a month.
Won’t eliminate them entirely but will reduce the population. Can do the same thing with a pond or a water feature but obv a lot more expensive.
Recommended this yesterday & can’t recommend it enough, especially for people with east coast/mid-atlantic wooded & woodland edge gardens: [The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty & Biodiversity in the Home Garden by Doug Tallamy & Rick Darke](https://www.biblio.com/book/living-landscape-designing-beauty-biodiversity-home/d/1632164193). Just an incredible blend of ecology & practical approaches to native landscape design that covers the why, what, and how. Lots of example garden spaces, plant selections, insect & wildlife interactions, considerations for successional layers & the seasons, etc. Obsessed.
Your property is beautiful! And I’m so impressed with the removal you’ve done so far! Can’t wait to see where you take it.
WOWZA!