Ivy or not?

I was considering growing ivy up the hut to cover it, protect it a little from the elelments, maybe keep some water out! give the birdies some food as the back garden is slabs and chips unfortunately.

Looking for the positives and negatives of this idea before making a decision?

Thanks in advance

Ivy once established grows very fast, and dense, so you would have a fair amount of weight on your hut....can it take it? we grow a lot of ivy,but, cut it down every year to keep it under control.

I grow a lot of ivy for the wild life which do seem to love it however it can go a bit mad and we also cut it down every year to keep it under control.  The birds love the berries in late winter and also roost in to and the bees like the later flowers - I would not be without it.  

We had allowed ivy to spread of our brick outhouse roof. That eventually started to leak. When we got the roof sorted out the roots had invaded underneath the tiles and through the roofing felt. As already said, it is incredibly heavy if allowed to go rampant.

What is the best way to remove ivy from the walls of the house as it sticks like glue. Should i treat it with weed killer first?

You could grow a slow growing variety

I have verigated Ivy covering a wooden shed it's been there years it's trimmed back every year and each year Jenny Wrens nest in it.

peterpest57

If you cut it at ground level the topgrowth will die and then it pulls off easily. If you then want to kill it, it'll be a lot easier to spray the new growth than spray a wall-full. Admittedly, this way you'll have shrivelling ivy on the wall for some weeks until it's dead enough to pull, but you'll do far less damage to the wall and it's far less work. Have you ever tried spraying a wall? You'll get more spray on yourself that the ivy!

I have three different varieties in my garden, and each one is different. I love all of them, but won't let them anywhere near the house as it can get quite invasive. If you keep on top of it though, there is absolutely no reason why it can't be a very beautiful addition to the garden. If all you want to do is cover a shed with it then it will do so quickly and effectively for you. Just remember the old saying... 1st year it sleeps, 2nd year it creeps, and the 3rd year it leaps.

I have ivy on my house & Garden (it was there when I moved in) it looks beautifull but boy does it take some maintaining. I cut back about 3 recycling bags of the stuff I can reach every 4 weeks or so. I have had to resort to burning it as it grows quicker than I can get rid of it. I wouldnt dream of getting rid of it for an easier life but boy I would never plant it..