English Ivy (Hedera helix) fruiting.
Join the Friends of Mt Majura work party on Sunday, 14 April and help remove English Ivy (Hedera helix) and other garden escapes that invade the drainage line close to the Hackett water reservoir.
Please come early for an introduction and give as much time as you want.
When: Sunday 14 April 2017, from 1 pm to 4 pm
Where: Meet at ParkCare notice board opposite of the water reservoir off Rivett Street and French Street intersection; view this map. We will be working at the bottom of the drainage line close to the backyards of Rivett Street.
English Ivy at the bottom of the drainage line.
Bring and wear: Sun protection, body covering garden clothing (see below note on English Ivy!) and sturdy shoes or gumboots.
You need no experience to attend this event; instructions and tools will be provided on site.
Inquiries: ph 6247 7515 or secretary@majura.org
Contact during the event: 0435 357 172
About English Ivy
English Ivy (Hedera helix), native to Europe, is an aggressive, fast growing, drought tolerant, and highly invasive weed in many parts of the world. It has no natural predator or control and can transform large areas of diverse plants into an ivy monoculture. This deprives habitat and food sources for indigenous wildlife, discouraging native birds, butterflies and insects. Ivy forms mats which suppress all ground level plants, preventing natural regeneration.
English Ivy has a tendency to climb anything it can for support, such as trees, fences, or houses. It attaches to objects by aerial rootlets from the stems that cement themselves to the object.
Ivy needs to climb up from the ground to flower and produces black, berry fruits. Fruits are eaten and disseminated by birds. The ivy eventually kills its support plant, mainly trees, by smothering, preventing natural bark shed, excluding light and photosynthesis. Its sheer weight can cause trees to collapse.
All parts of the plant are poisonous if ingested, and the sap is an irritant on contact.
Spread and control. English Ivy is a garden escape that spreads by birds eating the fruits and dropping seeds with their faeces and by illegal dumping of garden waste.
Dispose pruning refuse at green waste sites, or use trash bags and green bins.
Prune climbing plants to ground level to avoid flowering and fruiting.
Hand removal is the most effective but very labour intensive.
