Welcome to the Garden Ninja Gardening Forum! If you have a gardening question that you can't find answers to then ask below to seek help from the Garden Ninja army! Please make your garden questions as specific and detailed as possible so the community can provide comprehensive answers in the online forum below.

Welcome to the ultimate beginner gardening and garden design forum! Where no gardening question is too silly or obvious. This online gardening forum is run by Lee Burkhill, the Garden Ninja from BBC 1's Garden Rescue and a trusted group of experienced gardeners.

Whether you are a beginner or an expert gardener, it's a safe place to ask garden-related questions for garden design or planting. If you have a problem in your garden or need help, this is the Garden Forum for you!

Garden Ninja forum ask a question

Posting Rules: This space is open for all garden-related questions. Please be polite, courteous and respectful. If you wouldn't say it to your mum's face, then don't post it here. Please don't promote, sell, link spam or advertise here. Please don't ask for 'cheeky' full Garden redesigns here. They will be deleted.

If you need a garden design service, please use this page to book a design consultation. I will block anyone who breaks these rules or is discourteous to the Garden Ninja Community.

Join the forum below with your gardening questions!

Please or Register to create posts and topics.

Ivy removal from flower beds

I have ivy growing in my garden over the low fences surrounding my garden, I don’t mind it and would like to keep it but how do I get control of it. It covers the ground as well. I did have to cut some of it away as it began strangling some small shrubs. Should I encourage it to eradicate it completely. 

Hi Lin,

Ivy can be both a wonderful garden plant and also a bit of a curse if its left to run rampant.

Ivy does offer a great habitat for wildlife and birds in the winter however, you definitely want to be able to control its spread.

The best way is to manually remove ivy, usually pulling it up by hand is easy enough. I have ivy down my drive at home. Some parts I love and leave others I remove by hand and with my hori hori tool. I never use weed killer in my garden as I garden organically. The other issue is that sprays don't really touch ivy as it has glossy leaves. Weedkillers tend to drip off and just kill other plants. I would always advise manual removal.

Have a look at my organic weeding guide here and the video below for more.

Happy weeding!

Lin53 has reacted to this post.
Lin53
Online garden design courses

Share this now!