What a lovely tree

An Ivy Tree

 

Hi Roders,

I completely agree with you. Ivy is a much maligned plant in general. I think people are far too quick to dismiss on the grounds of "everyone else says so" which is tosh.


I wish mine was so beautiful.

 

Well, I wouldn't say no to it .... what a beauty and the varigation adds to the depth!

I wonder if it's covering something else ??????

 

Looks somewhat like a mushroom

 

Looks like its trying to cover the car up :D

 

Whatever is underneath it is certainly dead

 

Perhaps it is a giant dead mushroom? LOL

 

What treasures could be lurking underneath I wonder!? A haven for wildlife and no mistake, with its own little ecosystem for sure.

 

Ivy adds weight to a healthy tree, but does not directly kill it.

Makes for a pain when it comes to felling them if its left.

 

bobj,

The discussion about ivy and its relation with trees has gone on for years and will be around for ever! Whether it actually kills a tree intentionally or not is still debated, especially amongst arborists and arb consultants. What you will find is that ivy has with it a number of negative effects on trees such as:

1. Blocking sunlight from shoots and buds, so stunting or retarding their growth. The tree is unable to produce new branches or flowers.
2. Ivy can hide structural defects in the tree, defects that you could otherwise deal with if you knew they were there. These defects then become serious and lead to tree failure.
3. Ivy becomes a habitat for wildlife than can include sap sucking and wood boring insects and mammals.

Basically, all these things can lead to tree failure, but they are byproducts from ivy growth, not the interference of the ivy itself. Hope this makes sense.

 

Personally I hate ivy on a tree - it makes it a chore and a danger to climb trees safely.

 

And the saw blunts quicker cross cutting as theres often grit and crap amongst/ behind the ivy.