The fabulous look of houses with vertical gardening is amazing.
Do-it-yourself landscaping of facades, as well as roofs and walls of buildings, which is popular today, turns out that our ancestors used it many hundreds of years ago. It was they who once began to decorate their homes with vines in order to protect them from the sun. In the middle latitudes of the country, hops, clematis, lemongrass and grapes were and are still in great demand. In the southern part of the country, climbing roses, ivy and wisteria were and are irreplaceable.
The advantages of vertical gardening of house facades are obvious. Firstly, with the help of well-chosen plants, you can protect the wall from dampness, rotting and drafts. Secondly, the plants will not allow harmful polluted air from roads and highways into the room and will help create an optimal microclimate for a comfortable stay of people inside the building. Thirdly, the facade of the building decorated with plants looks aesthetically pleasing, stylish and beautiful, allowing a person to feel like a part of wild nature.
Vertical gardening: how to choose the right plants for the facade and walls of a building
If you seriously decide to start landscaping your facade, then you need to remember that most plants, except especially tenacious ones, such as vines and ivy, will require additional supports made of wire or wood. The supports are mounted to the wall of the house using dowels in the hope that they can support the weight of the plants used for landscaping.
When selecting plants for landscaping the facade of a building, you should also take into account such a moment as the side of the world to which the wall faces. If this is the north side, then ideal solution Evergreen plant species will become, among which it is worth paying attention to:
- small-leaved jasmine;
- cotoneaster;
- mock orange, etc.
Plants for landscaping in this case will not only decorate the facade of the house, but will also help preserve thermal energy. The thing is that the layer formed between the surface of the wall and the leaves of the plants will prevent heat from escaping.
On the walls of buildings facing south, it is best to plant plants that will shed their leaves by winter. In the summer, they will be able to protect the interior from overheating, forming a dense green wall; in the winter, they will not interfere with heating sun rays wall surfaces will help create an optimal microclimate in the room. Schisandra, Actinidia kolomikta, clematis and some others are excellent for decorating the facade of a wall on the south side of the house.
On the wall of the house facing west, it is best to plant plants that can protect the building from bad weather. It is this side that is considered the most vulnerable to rain, wind and snow. A good option in this case, wisteria, camellia, grandiflora magnolia and others will become.
On the wall of the house facing the east side, Japanese kerria, Japanese quince, as well as pyracantha and hydrangea will feel best.
It is important to note the fact that by vertically planting the walls of buildings, it is possible to improve the microclimate of the surrounding area, and not only interior spaces. Foliage will help cool the air and increase its humidity.
Options for vertical greening of buildings
Don't forget about the architecture of the building. It can be used for vertical gardening.
Plants for landscaping the facade of a building should be selected not only taking into account the cardinal directions, but also taking into account the architectural solutions of structures, the functional purpose of buildings, number of floors, appearance and other factors.
We must remember that sometimes vertical gardening, How additional element the composition should not distract attention from the main architecture of the building, except in cases where green spaces are considered the main decoration of the façade of the building as conceived by the author of the project.
You should be especially careful in the process of decorating the facades of ancient buildings, remembering that it is better to select plants for these purposes with not the densest foliage, which can only emphasize the peculiarity of the buildings without “shouting out” it. Single vines, as well as maiden grapes, are well suited.
Walls and facades public buildings It is better to plant landscaping by introducing small inclusions that will harmonize with urban buildings.
In general, vertical gardening can be divided into three types:
- solid;
- using group plants;
- single plants.
The first option for landscaping - continuous - can be used to decorate facades and blank walls of a building. During continuous landscaping, it is necessary to provide correct location plants near window openings, based on the need for the degree of shading of interior spaces. For this type of landscaping, self-suction vines are often used, which are planted in prepared holes at a distance of 2-3 meters from each other, or a special support for plants is installed.
Landscaping with plants collected in groups or single ones certain types can be used for structures with simple architectural solutions that do not have loggias with neat, uniform openings, etc.
As the plants creep up to the roof, they will need to be trimmed, thereby controlling growth. Pay special attention to gutters and pipes that may become clogged with leaves; plants should not be allowed to interfere with their proper functioning.
It is also important to remember that some plants have poisonous fruits and leaves, such as certain varieties of honeysuckle. They need to be planted in places inaccessible to children and animals.
If you are a single foreigner, renting a house in an unfamiliar city is an impossible mission. Landladies immediately suspect you are a prostitute. And no manners, diplomas or contracts with reputable companies can convince these grimz. Irina began every day by visiting real estate agencies, gradually boiling with rage - how is this possible?! – there are so many advertisements for “apartment for rent in the center”, but there is not even a room for it. She was about to break the contract when a thin, dark-haired, middle-aged man called out to her near the tower. For five centuries the tower served as the gateway to the city, now to its historical center; adjacent to it was a bulky house with a small house attached to it, and then the ramparts. On the other side of the house there was a church and a monastery. A hallmark of the city, a place photographed and worn out by posing tourists. Every day, passing the tower, Ira thought enviously: “I wish I could live in such a house, covered with ivy!”
Are you looking for accommodation? – the man asked. - I have free time.
It turned out that it was about small house-a dream entwined with ivy. Having found out the price, Irina was amazed at how cheap it was. “It’s noisy here,” the owner, a lean German engineer, honestly explained, “the road is noisy, and the clock on the church is striking. This bothers many people. A plastic windows You can’t insert it - historical buildings, those are the rules.” Irina followed the engineer along a long thick-walled corridor, passing three massive doors medieval make. She discovered a stone courtyard with a high wrought-iron lattice, which was covered with the same ubiquitous lush ivy. “There’s a monastery on the other side, and we’re standing in the old nuns’ cemetery,” the owner carefully shuffled with his sole.
They entered the house. Wonderful house! Old furniture, dishes, fireplace, everywhere wall clock- “my father collected,” explained the engineer, spiral staircase on the second floor, skylight. And everywhere there is dust, lying like a duvet. “No one has lived for a long time,” the engineer apologized. Promising to draw up an agreement without delay, engineer Wildmann received the money. Irina - keys and a bucket with a rag. The taps began to rustle as the engineer let the water flow, and the dust gave way. square meter beyond the meter, there were whole colonies of spider nests, but the windows did not open, no matter how Irina fought them. I had to wash one side. There was a tower looking out of the bedroom skylight. Late in the evening, having washed her desired home, Irina lit the fireplace and sat down in front of it in a rocking chair with a book in a language she did not understand. German. It was an anatomy textbook, apparently the engineer’s dad was a doctor. Leber - Irina read it and realized that it was the liver. She was hungry, but she couldn’t leave the house and ruin the comfort of a fabulous evening. IN kitchen cabinet found ground coffee, the aroma is still preserved. There were many bottles of herbs and seasonings in the closet. Some looked and smelled unfamiliar. Ira began to sort through them and pulled her hand away from one bottle - it contained dried mouse ears. Lots and lots of ears. “What disgusting,” she muttered, shuddering. I poured the coffee into the sink - it was too black. I went to the window - the road lay below, which had already died down towards night; its noise did not bother me at all. Ira tried the window, but only scratched her hand until it bled. Boom-boom-boom-boom - the clock on the tower began to drone. Eleven and a quarter. Ira decided to sleep downstairs by the fireplace; in the bedroom she would be disturbed by an uncovered ceiling window with a tower looking into it. There was a deer skin lying on the sofa, and Ira ran her hand over it tenderly. It seemed to her that the skin was warm and pulsating - “heated from the fire.” Logs were burning in the fireplace. Ira thought that she didn’t want to part with the living fire that night, she tucked the skin under so as not to get warm - veins and veins were preserved on the underside of the skin. In the glow from the fireplace, it seemed to Ira that blood was flowing through them, and the skin itself was twitching.
"Atmosphere!" - She grinned at her fear. The clock on the tower struck a quarter to midnight. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, the wall clock in the corner began to echo them, and instead of a cuckoo, the White Lady's doll jumped out of it and mournfully moaned the prescribed number of times.
“I accidentally pulled on the weights while washing,” Irina reassured herself. She grabbed the basket - the firewood was under the shed in the yard, she wanted to bring more, she was sure that she would no longer fall asleep in this small house covered with ivy, and would not lie on a freshly skinned deer skin.
Ira went out into the courtyard, consecrated from the doorway, the firewood was already quite rotten and damp - it smelled of mold and mushrooms. Midnight began to strike on the tower, and along with the striking of the clock, another blow was heard - the door slammed shut. Keys, phone - everything was left inside. Ira stood with a basket of firewood in a stone bag - on three sides there were medieval walls, between which there was a high forged lattice, entwined with ivy, she stood in a cemetery on the bones of nuns - I remembered the words of the engineer.
She's not scared! - Irina decided, only her heart was pounding, trying to break through her chest and run away from this place. She tried the door to the house - it was locked. She tried the door to the corridor, reminiscent of a dungeon - it was locked. The engineer's windows looked out into the courtyard; there was no movement or fire in them. Ira began kicking the door and pitifully calling for help. Something softly passed over her head. Bat. From the ordinary bat Ira shook and panicked.
The clock on the tower began to chime the quarter after midnight. The clock in the house, she could hear, also groaned. Ira threw a log at the engineer’s window, but the log did not reach - it was rotten and light. The rotten thing fell and crumbled. Then she rushed towards the bars, her leg stuck between the bars. Ira pulled her out of her slipper and screamed towards the monastery. The monastery stood blind, deaf, dumb - a dark mass of old stones. The ivy slid as we tried to climb it.
Desperate, Ira decided to break the window of the house with a log, get to the phone and call the police. She chose a stronger log and hit the glass hard. From the other side of the glass a white face with black holes looked at her. Ira stumbled back, tripped over the basket and fell, hitting the back of her head on the stones of the yard.
A medieval tower loomed over her head, as if it wanted to bend down and kiss the gaping black hole. “God, our father,” Ira closed her eyes. She sat for the rest of the night, closing her eyes, by the woodpile, trembling and whispering “Our Father, Our Father”... When dawn broke, she saw that front door open. The ashes from the fireplace scattered throughout the room and fell like dust in its place. Ira packed her things and grabbed the keys.
The first door, the second, the third, on the door leading to the street there was a note: “If you don’t like the accommodation, leave the keys at mailbox, take your money there, just slam the door. Thank you for participating in real filming. You are very religious.
Best regards, Wildmann."
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Higher and higher
Many plants are suitable for landscaping facades, differing greatly in the color and shape of foliage, flower color and growth pattern. Some will cover the house with a solid green area, others will decorate its walls with a colorful pattern of foliage and flowers.
Different plants climb up the walls of a building in different ways. Ivy, virgin grapes and petiolate hydrangea do not need supports: they are attached to the walls with special suction disks or modified roots. The stiff branches of climbing roses and holoflowered jasmine are studded with thorns or thorns that cling to the crossbars of a wooden lattice. Clematis entangles the support with leaf petioles. Wisteria wraps around vertical supports (for example, a tightly stretched wire) with shoots stretching towards the sun. Choose a support depending on what plants you want to grow near the front of the house. You can do the opposite - select plants to the existing support.
Home entrance design
In 30 minutes you can:
- Pull the wire.
- Plant a climbing plant.
Plants and walls
The soil near the wall of a house is usually very dry: due to the roof eaves and gutters, little rainwater gets there. Therefore, plants for landscaping the facade should be planted no closer than 0.5 m from the wall. In order for the shoots to reach the support faster, the plants should be planted with an inclination towards the wall. Before planting, you need to dig a very spacious hole - at least one and a half times wider and deeper than the root ball. To improve the soil, add organic material to the hole. For roses, wisterias and other grafted plants, the grafting site must be buried at least 5 cm into the soil.
Then you need to bring the shoots to the support, fan them out and tie them up. If the plants do not require support, you should secure their shoots to the wall with adhesive tape and do not remove it until they are attached to the wall on their own.
Vertical garden gardening
Before planting, be sure to check the condition of the brickwork or plaster - especially if you are going to plant ivy and other plants attached to it with suction cups near the wall. To prevent the aerial roots of plants from destroying the plaster and penetrating into the masonry, the wall must be absolutely smooth, without cracks and plastered with a material resistant to weather changes. Plastered walls painted with dispersion or dispersion silicate paints eventually become covered with cracks, where moisture accumulates and where shoots can grow. Climbing plants and plants that cling to support with tendrils or aerial roots cannot be planted near such walls: they will penetrate into the cracks, expand them and ultimately ruin the coating.
On a completely smooth wall, such plants pose no danger. On the contrary, their dense foliage will protect it from rain. Just don't let plants reach gutters, roofs and window frames: they can damage these elements of the building.
Andra
Is ivy bad for your walls?
Our front wall is covered with ivy. We love it, but we keep getting comments about how the ivy ends up ruining your wall. My usual answer is that you often see ivy on centuries-old buildings and they appear to be well preserved.
So my question is: is there a potential danger of ivy growing on your (brick) walls and should we remove them, or is it just an urban legend and should we enjoy its beauty?
(source: Ikar.us (Karlsruhe: Alter Friedhof), via Wikimedia Commons)
Edwin
I'm against letting it grow simply because you can't inspect the wall for problems and it makes repairs more difficult. At some point every brick wall will need to be repainted.
Answers
DMoore
If my house weren't all brick and dilapidated, I wouldn't let it grow. Ivy unfolds and finds its way into any crack. As ivy matures, it becomes denser to continue growing. As it gets thicker, it pushes things out as soon as it gets into the crack. I have ivy on a chain link fence in my backyard and the fence is ruined.
Think about how ivy gets between your gutters and your house. At some times of the year it grows so quickly that you may have to check every couple of days.
Non-structural note: bad ivy (poison) can grow alongside good ivy. Removing the ivy from my back fence resulted in two poison ivy attacks for me.
Obvious note: ivy holds water. So anything that can decompose, rot, warp or anything else due to water won't last as long. Fiasco Labs also has some differences with their "suction cups" that they use for attachment. Within a year of a freshly painted house, they may cause you to need a new paint job.
DA01
There is some debate about the damage this could cause. Some types of ivy are self-clinging and will likely not have any structural impact on anything. Some types of ivy will try to invade cracks and crevices, so if you start with a bad brickwork, this may cause dissatisfaction.
But there are also arguments FOR THIS. Here's based on research Oxford University. Conclusion: Pristine walls likely benefit from ivy, but slightly damaged walls are aggravated by ivy.
Brian Knoblauch
Even if it clings itself, it still causes moisture to be retained on the wall, which is not desirable.
DA01
@BrianKnoblauch the linked article mentions that "a study funded by English Heritage also found bushes from water-related damage"
wallyk
I regularly spend time voluntarily removing ivy, holly, blackberries and other invasive species from the Portland Forest Park: 
(Note that there is no ivy visible here!)
English ivy is by far our worst problem. Armenian blackberry (formerly known as Himalayan blackberry) is another serious pest, but it only breeds in sunny areas.
Even if there is nothing wrong with the ivy in the house, such things! & $ @ # * Crawling through the yard into wild areas, smothering and eventually knocking over trees, competing with and interfering with natural vegetation and disrupting habitat. Ivy may be fine in dry climates where it can be controlled, but in rainy zones it is terrible.
My prejudice against the material continues even at home. I pull out the roots every time I find any evidence of this.
Where I find it sticking to the cedar siding, it made an expensive mess. It's hard to peel cleanly on the bricks and where it's been for years it looks like it's making hairline cracks in mortar or otherwise sucks it out of solution.
So even if I liked the idea of ivy on a building, I wouldn't do it due to concerns about damaging the ecosystem.
Fiasco Labs
Wooden structures? Definitely not! Suction pads that ivy uses to stick to wood paneling, cause mold, and the moisture remaining underneath causes rot. If you live in Washington and Oregon, you'll find yourself living in an expensive compost pile when mold begins to attack the woods. Suction cups tend to pull paint off. You have to strip the ivy and repaint it with mildew-enhanced paint quite often if you want it to grow. It also penetrates where it might find a crack. We found it inside a wall in our T-111 side wall house when we remodeled.
Joe Shaw
I had quite a bit of ivy growing up in a 1920s garage and its rubber roof. It hasn't been cut back for several years. Removing the ivy was great job and brought out pieces of mortar and part of the stone facade. It was not structural damage, but still required some maintenance later.
The roof was a little more serious. The rubber roof was quite old, but when we drove up to the ivy, large parts of the roof came up with it. Once the ivy was gone and the new roof took care of all the problems we had with damp and mold in the garage went away.
Joe does things
You can basically assume that anything living that is attached to a structure is the equivalent weight of water, and that it will swell and shrink depending on the temperature. On a long enough schedule this can compromise the mortar even if the bricks are fine.
In the area with a large number freeze-thaw cycles, this time scale becomes much shorter.
According to popular belief, indoor ivy is considered one of the most controversial plants. It's hard to say whether he will make his owner happy or not. Let's see if you can keep ivy at home.
In the article:
Indoor ivy - good omens
Ivy
It is believed that if ivy grows in a room, goodness will reign in it. Psychics and bioenergetics experts claim that this plant helps resolve family conflicts and calms partners. It is recommended to buy it for easily excitable people or for hyperactive children.
It is a common superstition that if you keep ivy at work or in the office at home, then things will improve. This is due to the fact that the plant personifies vitality and fortitude. Therefore, timid and insecure people are advised to keep ivy at home.
It’s a good sign if a plant blooms in your house married woman. This suggests that her husband is faithful to her and the relationship is harmonious.
Ivy is reliable. It absorbs the negativity of your guests. If a person comes to your house with the intention of harming you, the flower will prevent this.
Indoor ivy - negative signs
Ivy (chedera)
It would seem that the plant fills the room with positive energy, attracts all the good things, and it is a must to have one at home. However, many believe that ivy has a scary feature.
It consists of: It is worth making a clarification - initially the plant absorbs negative energy, and if it doesn’t eat enough, it is taken as positive. Therefore, it is best to keep ivy on the balcony, in the home front garden. As soon as you feel that the atmosphere is heating up, a scandal begins, bring it into the room. Let the plant absorb all the bad things, then take it back.
If all the walls in the house are covered with climbing ivy, a single girl will not marry, since the plant will repel the opposite sex from her.
It was said above that for a married woman, blooming ivy - good omen, however, according to another superstition, he will, on the contrary, drive his husband out of the house.
A vine that has fallen off a large and strong plant foreshadows collapse and large financial losses. Melancholic people who grow such a flower will become even more vulnerable.
How did they treat ivy in the old days?
Previously, it was believed that a person with whooping cough only had to drink ivy medicine from a wooden cup. After this, he will immediately improve.
To cure sore eyes, the leaves of the plant should be placed in water for a day, and then washed with this liquid. They even tried to treat blind people this way.
The ivy method was popular. The man tore off 10 sheets, threw one away, and hid nine under his pillow. That night he was supposed to dream about his future wife.
If the guy already has a fiancée, with the help of this fortune telling you can see whether she will be his only love and find out about her true feelings by asking about it in a dream.
As you can see, both good and bad things are associated with ivy. bad omens. Whether you want to plant this plant in your home or not is up to you. If you still have a choice, listen to your inner voice, it will tell you the right decision.
They say that a house on a garden plot reflects the character of its owner. Solid and solid or romantic and elegant, decorated with intricate decor, or strict and ascetic... Take a closer look at the facades country houses, they will tell you a lot about your neighbors. It often happens that the house is unprepossessing, built a long time ago, but it is so warm, cozy and nice that you immediately understand: a good person lives here.
Vertical landscaping of the façade plays an important role in creating this lovely coziness. It's so hot in the summer green wall gives coolness, protects from rain and wind in the fall, creates pleasant microclimate. The house, entwined with ivy or vines, is welcoming and somehow kindly reliable.
Do you want to create a corner of Provence in your garden? Are you hoping to get rid of the noise coming from your neighbors? Or maybe you need to disguise the unsuccessful façade of your country house? A living green wall is what you need!
There is no need to grow vines all over the walls of the house - choose the one that most often catches your eye. And depending on which side of the world it faces, choose plants for landscaping. If the side is north, main function(in addition to decorative) - maximum heat retention.
Choose ivy, mock orange, garia, cotoneaster, and Japanese quince. These plants form over time between the green curtain and the stone wall a narrow air gap, which prevents heat loss. In addition, these plants are very beautiful even in winter.
- If the windows face south, you need to create cozy shading. So, we choose rhododendrons, honeysuckle, Chinese lemongrass, climbing roses or clematis.
- Do you see the sunrise in the morning? For the eastern side, hops, tree hydrangea, Japanese kerria with golden flowers are good. Clematis and Japanese quince Perfect too!
- The wall chosen for landscaping faces west - we will take care of protection from bad weather. Wisteria, grapevine - great choice! Camellia, large-flowered magnolia, and Fremontodendron will also decorate your façade.
Professionalism of a designer or the soul of a gardener?
There is an opinion that vertical gardening should be entrusted to landscape designers. I don't agree. This is a completely feasible task, if only there was a desire. Especially if you have already gotten your hands on creating hedges.
The principles are almost the same:
- - Selection of plants;
- - Soil preparation;
- - Installation of supports;
- - Planting seeds, seedlings or seedlings;
- - Care: fertilizing, watering, pruning;
- - Preparing perennials for winter.
What is new here is the installation of supports, something on which your green façade decoration will rest.
We rely on what resists. Trellis for climbing trees.
The most simple support for climbing annuals - stretched thin twine or fishing line. Echinocystis quickly weaves along the wall of the house, sweet pea, fire beans or morning glory. They don't need serious support. Your task is only to direct growth in the right direction.
Perennial plants require more solid support. In order to hold the considerable weight of hops or wisteria, climbing roses or honeysuckle make a strong frame that is fixed to the wall of the house. It can be made of any material. The shape of the frame is determined only by your imagination.
There is an opinion that vertical gardening is terribly harmful to a building, because it destroys the house from high humidity, created by plants, damages the plaster and swells the roof. This is true. Therefore, it is better to grow especially “tenacious” plants on auxiliary supports without direct contact with the wall, especially if the house is wooden. If a living green curtain has rushed onto the roof, its growth should be stopped by strong plant stems and the shingles may be lifted and the gutters clogged.
Children and pets can be poisoned by the fruits of these decorative vines. And this can also be: the fruits and leaves of some plants used in landscaping are poisonous. Therefore, if you have small children, be especially careful when choosing plants for a green façade.
There is also another point - the costs of seeds, seedlings and professionals. All this is quite expensive. But this is not true. Of course, there are costs, but you can often get by on your own, with available materials and the most unpretentious plants.
If your green facade is created by annuals, there are no problems with wintering. The main thing is to remove faded and withered plants in late autumn, dig up the soil and fertilize it - after all, next year you will repeat the experience. If you chose perennials, remember that many of them come from warm tropical countries, and although they winter in open ground, but in late autumn they are shortened, covered with vines and the soil mulched to prevent the roots from freezing.
A hedge around a house made of bushes. Part one.
- ...and part two
Village style. Simplicity and beauty.
Andra
Is ivy bad for your walls?
Our front wall is covered with ivy. We love it, but we keep getting comments about how the ivy ends up ruining your wall. My usual answer is that you often see ivy on centuries-old buildings and they appear to be well preserved.
So my question is: is there a potential danger of ivy growing on your (brick) walls and should we remove them, or is it just an urban legend and should we enjoy its beauty?
(source: Ikar.us (Karlsruhe: Alter Friedhof), via Wikimedia Commons)
Edwin
I'm against letting it grow simply because you can't inspect the wall for problems and it makes repairs more difficult. At some point, every brick wall will need to be repainted.
Answers
DMoore
If my house weren't all brick and dilapidated, I wouldn't let it grow. Ivy unfolds and finds its way into any crack. As ivy matures, it becomes denser to continue growing. As it gets thicker, it pushes things out as soon as it gets into the crack. I have ivy on a chain link fence in my backyard and the fence is ruined.
Think about how ivy gets between your gutters and your house. At some times of the year it grows so quickly that you may have to check every couple of days.
Non-structural note: bad ivy (poison) can grow alongside good ivy. Removing the ivy from my back fence resulted in two poison ivy attacks for me.
Obvious note: ivy holds water. So anything that can decompose, rot, warp or anything else due to water won't last as long. Fiasco Labs also has some differences with their "suction cups" that they use for attachment. Within a year of a freshly painted house, they may cause you to need a new paint job.
DA01
There is some debate about the damage this could cause. Some types of ivy are self-clinging and will likely not have any structural impact on anything. Some types of ivy will try to invade cracks and crevices, so starting with poor brickwork can cause dissatisfaction.
But there are also arguments FOR THIS. Here's based on a study from Oxford University. Conclusion: Pristine walls likely benefit from ivy, but slightly damaged walls are aggravated by ivy.
Brian Knoblauch
Even if it clings itself, it still causes moisture to be retained on the wall, which is not desirable.
DA01
@BrianKnoblauch the linked article mentions that "a study funded by English Heritage also found bushes from water-related damage"
wallyk
I regularly spend time voluntarily removing ivy, holly, blackberries and other invasive species from the Portland Forest Park: (Note that there is no ivy visible here!)
English ivy is by far our worst problem. Armenian blackberry (formerly known as Himalayan blackberry) is another serious pest, but it only breeds in sunny areas.
Even if there is nothing wrong with the ivy in the house, such things! & $ @ # * Crawling through the yard into wild areas, smothering and eventually knocking over trees, competing with and interfering with natural vegetation and disrupting habitat. Ivy may be fine in dry climates where it can be controlled, but in rainy zones it is terrible.
My prejudice against the material continues even at home. I pull out the roots every time I find any evidence of this.
Where I find it sticking to the cedar siding, it made an expensive mess. It's hard to separate cleanly on bricks, and where it's been for years, it looks like it's making hairline cracks in the mortar or otherwise sucking it out of the mortar.
So even if I liked the idea of ivy on a building, I wouldn't do it due to concerns about damaging the ecosystem.
Fiasco Labs
Wooden structures? Definitely not! The sucker pads that ivy uses to stick to wood sheathing cause mold, and moisture trapped underneath causes rot. If you live in Washington and Oregon, you'll find yourself living in an expensive compost pile when mold begins to attack the woods. Suction cups tend to pull paint off. You have to strip the ivy and repaint it with mildew-enhanced paint quite often if you want it to grow. It also penetrates where it might find a crack. We found it inside a wall in our T-111 side wall house when we remodeled.
Joe Shaw
I had quite a bit of ivy growing up in a 1920s garage and its rubber roof. It hasn't been cut back for several years. Removing the ivy was a big job and brought out chunks of mortar and part of the stone façade. It was not structural damage, but still required some maintenance later.
The roof was a little more serious. The rubber roof was quite old, but when we drove up to the ivy, large parts of the roof came up with it. Once the ivy was gone and the new roof took care of all the problems we had with damp and mold in the garage went away.
Joe does things
You can basically assume that anything living that is attached to a structure is the equivalent weight of water, and that it will swell and shrink depending on the temperature. On a long enough schedule this can compromise the mortar even if the bricks are fine.
In an area with many freeze-thaw cycles, this time scale becomes much shorter.
