Woody corner in Garden advice

cremeegg

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I planted trees some years ago with the intention of developing a small woody area. I put in some bluebells and all was well for a while. Recently the ground area under the trees has become covered with ivy. Flowers trying to poke up through, but look to be losing. Is there any solution other than pulling the ivy by hand every year. Is there any way to discourage its growth. Less light or more light or something else. Thanks for any advice
 
Thanks for that mathepac, but I think my ivy is not the plant described there. Mine is the common variety that grows on trees, it is growing over the ground under the trees as well as up the trees.
 
HI Cremegg,,

may I pose a counter argument?
forget the bluebells and leave the ivy do it's thing.


Wasps, hornets, hoverflies, bumblebees, small tortoiseshells, peacock butterflies and red admirals all make use of ivy's late-season bounty. The nectar provides essential reserves needed by the adult admiral butterfly to hibernate over winter.
Ivy is the plant equivalent of a 24/7 grocery store for animals. The dark berries provide an essential food source through the harsh winter months for many birds including blackbirds, thrushes and wood pigeons.

I'm currently on a mission to make the garden as maintenance free as possible, including getting rid of as much grass as my wife will allow :) . Part of that is trying to introduce varieties of plants, ground cover, bushes etc. that will co-exist and establish a balance. That balance may not be what I initially want, but that's part of the journey.
 
It's probably this? https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hedera-helix/

Had a huge area of it outside an apartment a few years ago. I'd love to think it was full of bumble bees and hoverflies; in our case it contained a battalion of snails which came out each night to eat all the nice flowers in the area (where the bumble bees and hoverfiles seemed to hang out).

Seems to be categorised as an invasive species on the sites I came across. Suggestions for killing it are covering with black plastic or using a chemical herbicide.
 
including getting rid of as much grass as my wife will allow :)

I'm on a similar mission but have decided to turn the lawn into a wildflower meadow. Initial signs are encouraging but it will take another couple of years to see how it turns out. What I have noticed is an abundance of bugs and bees and birds.
 
Many attractive shrubs are, in their natural state, woodland "understory" plants that actually don't mind growing under trees. Examples would be hydrangeas, rose of sharon, some tree heathers. If you clear about 1 ft around these properly when you plant, dig the hole the right size, put in appropriate nutrients for the shrubs underneath, then you can leave the ivy but have more visual interest. However whether it will work depends on the amount of shade, light and water and aspect (what direction does it face?). If you can bear to post a picture I'll try and give more advice. I'm an RHS-qualified gardener, happy to help for free during C19...
 
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