Have I killed this ivy?

Last week I severely pruned back an overgrown ivy plant, in the hope that it will regrow its leaves but on a smaller scale.
Previously it was 7 foot high and very dense, and it's now down to 5 foot as pictured.
However its few remaining leaves are now withering so have I killed it?
If it's on the edge, is there anything I can do to save it?
Or should I just uproot it and start again with cuttings from another plant?

Thanks very much in advance for helping a new and naive gardener!

 

Welcome to Gardeners Corner

I'd be very surprised if you'd killed it, Ivy is as tough as old boots normally.
Might have given it a bit of a shock though.

 

I wrenched a load of ivy out of some pots about a month ago, I wanted to replant it around some wooden planters to trail over the sides, it has gone brown and crispy but I have just cut it back to the roots, as I am confident it will re-emerge when it`s ready, might be next year.

 

Good morning McP,
bet you have a fair bit to take to the recycling depot!! Must be quite a transformation to look out over that area of the garden now,
Jenny namaste

 

Hello and welcome

That's a lot of cut surface area for moisture to escape from, especially at this time of year when it would have been actively growing, shifting huge quantities of water about just under the bark. This is why I prefer to do major pruning in winter, so that the plant can heal up before it becomes really active again.

I guess you could try giving it plenty of water to help stop it dehydrating.

 

I agree with clueless ........ Lots of open cuts ... Plant will dehydrate .... Cure ... Lots of water every evening .........

 

You will never kill ordinary ivy however hard you cut back
It will soon begin shooting out.

 

Thanks very much for all the help! I'll get watering

 

It looks wonderfully sculptural right now. If you have killed it (which I very much doubt) it's making a statement in it's own right and you could grow a clematis up it!

 

From the size of the stems, I'm going to hazard a guess that it is a large leaf ivy? (As opposed to a small leafed ivy - which I have growing up my white poplar? - vs the large leaf I have growing up the side of my laundry room!).

If it is a large leaf ivy, cutting it back, leaving the 'wounds' open, will have little detrimental effect at all! Trust me: I've tried The blighter will still come back (and back and back and BACK! )

Even if it is a small leaf ivy, which I'm not convinced it is, you stand a very good chance of it regenerating (because the root system is in tact).

Ivy will get a foothold even if it is just a solo leaf, laid on a piece of soil (given enough water, of course!). But, you are not describing a leaf waiting to be watered into growth. You are describing a very mature specimen, who's had a bit of a crew cut, but still has its feet firmly fixed in the ground.

I'll go as far to say: watch that space! Give it a few weeks (couple of months at worst) and you will be seeing re-growth If not: I will send you plenty some

 

i was thinking exactly the same i'd personally love that in our garden & would be secretly hoping the ivy wouldn't grow back & cover that fabulous framework