There is no easy way to get rid of invading English Ivy.

On a recent sunny Saturday morning, staff at the (LEPS) were using shovels and heavy gloves to tear out the infestation that covered the ground along the Creekside Nature Trail by Bertrand Creek in in Aldergrove.

Pots with native sword ferns were waiting to be planted in place of the invader.

LEPS 91原创 Stewardship Coordinator Lisa Dreves was one of the people using gardening tools to loosen up the ivy, then grabbing handfuls of the long, stringy roots and yanking on it, hard, to break its grip on the soil and dump it into disposable heavy paper wastebags.

鈥淚t does not want to come loose,鈥� Dreves remarked.

鈥淭his will be a long term project. It will take a long time to get the ivy out of here.鈥�

READ ALSO: A six-year war: battle against blackberries in 91原创

Dreves estimated it will require 鈥渟everal years鈥� of effort to reclaim the Aldergrove site.

鈥淲e just keep on pulling.鈥�

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, LEPS can鈥檛 bring in volunteers, which is why there was just a handful of people putting their backs into it on the day the 91原创 Advance Times dropped by.

鈥淚t鈥檚 all LEPS Staff because there are no pubic gatherings [allowed],鈥� Dreves explained.

READ ALSO: Bertrand Creek Enhancement Society looking for new members to help protect Aldergrove waterway

is a widely planted ornamental that arrived in North America during colonial times.

It is commonly planted to provide quick cover for walls and buildings, and as ground cover in commercial landscapes.

When it gets loose, and it often does, it can turn into a blanket that overwhelms native wildflowers, shrubs and trees through shading, smothering and associated harmful pathogens.

can completely engulf shrubs and encircles tree trunks of all sizes, leaving nothing uncovered. Shrubs shrouded in ivy may eventually die because light can鈥檛 reach their leaves. English ivy grows rapidly and needs very little light or water once it鈥檚 established, and even grows during the winter.

dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter