I like the look of it, but I've heard that it attracts more spiders and insects that can then get into your house. Not having ever lived in a house with ivy I don't know whether that's just a myth, though...

Depends on the house: if it has amazing brickwork or something I would not be covering that up. Otherwise, I'm happy with ivy.

It looks lovely but, alas, can degrade the brickwork, especially on older houses: https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=258

I love the look of Virginia Creeper, in particular, on a wall, but in my experience I do think that ivy etc does seem to lead to more insects and spiders getting into the house.

You also have to get up on a ladder and trim it away from the windows pretty often, as when it starts to encroach over the glass it feels very claustrophobic inside!

And the gutters! It blocks gutters too. And it got so heavy and overgrown in the next door garden at our old house that it pulled down the fence between us. (Wanders off muttering to pursue anti-ivy campaign elsewhere...)

I love it! Though if you are not careful it can be a problem. Just like any other part of the 'garden' it needs to be tended.

Ivy's a nightmare but I do like virginia creeper. It's easy to control, doesn't damage brickwork and changes colour in autumn which is attractive

Ivy nectar is a very valuable food source for insects thru the winter, and the berries are popular with blackbirds .. the plant also provides roosts for small birds. But it needs managing as others have said. On our rendered cob cottage we grow wisteria, Boston Ivy, honeysuckles, clematis, jasmine and climbing hydrangea over the walls, as well as ... naturally ... a rambling rose around the door. Yes, the plants encourage insects, but we want that!

It certain situations it can look very good especially when contained in a space / wall space / fence / boundary when little else will grow. Yet it will degrade as stated brickwork and pointing. So care has to be made when choosing where it is planted. It can be useful to cover unsightly elements too. It can be useful for ground cover on steep slopes where the soil is unstable or under shading such as under trees yet in the latter needs to be contained off the tree.

Virginia creeper is fabulous yet serious maintenance as it grows to quick.

Everything has it`s place.

I love ivy on a fence but although I encourage it there, I make sure it doesn't gain hold on my brickwork.

It looks lovely BUT you need to keep it in check. We had a lot when we bought our house and we've removed the lot. It got behind the render, under the flat roof of the garage. If you don't keep on top of it and it blocks gutters, damages brickwork and gets behind soffits etc, you can't claim on your insurance. It's maintenance. Keep away from Russian vine too.

HOW DO YOU KILL IT

Digging it up is the greenest way, otherwise there are topical herbicides. It's not difficult to get rid of it. But why would you want to? I've seen it grown in alternate green and gold bands against a wall and trimmed into tree shapes .. I think it was at Warwick Uni .... also pinned down and used as ground cover, trimmed neatly it looks really classy.

It looks lovely when wrapped around a period property such as this. The potential damage that it could do to the brickwork, guttering etc would mean it would have to eventually go even though it would kill me to remove it.

A study was done by RHS and English Heritage into the effects of ivy on buildings. Its findings found it doesn't do damage to the pointing if the pointing was in good order before planting, as the ivy can not grip if no cracks are available in the pointing, it grips the bricks. Also it also provided installation to the building. All that needed to be done was for it to be pruned regularly to keep it under control. I like alot of people have been shocked by this and it disproved some of the myths about ivy.

The ivy shown on this house in the photo is Virginia Creeper (turns red in autumn and is deciduous). I love this type of Ivy because of its beautiful colour. There is a risk of damage to brickwork and its growth needs to be managed carefully as it will eventually grow up through the eaves of the house onto and over the roof. However, English Ivy should never be allowed to grow on a brick, concrete or wood house, as this genus is a prolific evergreen and will bury its aerial roots into every conceivable nook and cranny developing a branch like growing system, 'fused' to its host. Have a look at large trees that have English Ivy smothering their trunks. This Ivy will in time grow upward into its branches, robbing it of its moisture and devouring it in the process. I loathe English Ivy anywhere near occupied buildings, trees and garden fences. It will sprawl across a lawn in an omni-directional underground root system and will take over completely. Because it is evergreen, the damage it is doing often goes unnoticed until it becomes a problem. The one redeeming feature of English Ivy growing wild is that it does provide a wonderful habitat for British Wildlife, especially our birds and bees. I love our wildlife therefore I am all for English Ivy growing away freely as long as it is away from my house and garden!

As far as I can tell, any vigorous climber is capable of doing damage if it's left untended. So when we moved in we inherited a jasmine that had got into the eaves, under roofing tiles and was snuggled around the power cables ... all due to the lassez faire attitude of the previous owners. We've replaced this with a Boston Ivy, the smaller and less rampant cousin of Virginia Creeper, and I've planted white and red jasmines elsewhere where I can keep an eye. There is a lot of choice in ivy other than the native "wild" English Ivy ... just about every shade of silver and gold, and leaves that are dainty and deeply cut, or flat as dinner plates. I have a pretty "goosefoot" variety on the house, which is very pretty, tho not rampant. I let wild ivy grow on the walls surrounding the fishpond, but keep it trimmed close on the verticals, but allow it to flower and fruit on the crest of the wall ... in autumn it's covered with hover flies and moths.

I like the look of it......but only on other peoples' homes.

I have ivy growing up my front and side and it looks great. Really softens the starkness of raw brickwork. Love it!

It destroys brickwork! If you must have something up the wall, grow honeysuckle, or clematis, which need a climbing frame to cling to. They smell better, too.

As per David Hawley's post above, ivy only damages brickwork if the pointing is already in need of attention.

We got Ivy on side of the house, only covers part of the house during summer,it has just started growing again, It's beautiful, must have had so many compliments.

I prefer Virginia Creeper or something similar. I think that is Virginia Creeper in the photo above . It changes to a lovely red or orange .

Wondering where all those snails come from, that destroy your flowers overnight? Pull down the ivy and you will see.

ruins your brickwork

It's very harmful but it gives the house a good and wild look. I personally like it but it's just got to be maintained and kept very tight, otherwise if you loose control it costs a lot.

I hate it. I quite like the smell and the look is quite nice (especially if over an ugly building). However the cons, and there are many, far out-weigh the pros. High maintenance, potential structural damage, insects (though I don't mind them too much) and worse - you may as well be building a network of ladders for mice and rats to get around. Ugh.

On the structural damage - with old houses, it is essential that the pointing is regularly checked and it has to be redone from time to time. Even if the ivy doesn't cause damage by getting in through cracks, it still traps moisture and holds it in your porous brick walls for longer causing potential damage to brickwork and timbers behind it such as lintels and joists. Even at the very least it obscures the view of your walls so you can't check your pointing regularly and monitor any cracks (which you mightn't notice until too late anyway if ivy-covered).

Ivy is just bad news for a building even if it does look nice.

Edited to add one more thing, that I forgot - ivy spreads rapidly and aggressively (birds sprinkle the berries around) and smothers trees and other plants so it's not all that environmentally friendly after all.

We had ivy growing all over a bungalow we bought in Berkshire. I thought it was so pretty... at first. The roof was leaking. Turned out the ivy was getting in between the tiles and lifting them. Pandora's box had been opened. The more we looked into it, the more we uncovered. It had totally destroyed much of the mortar around the house allowing dampness & mould to get inside. Pulling it off the brickwork was only the beginning. It was all over the garden, destroying walls/fencing, you name it. Let me tell you, once ivy has established a foothold in your property, it is the devil's own work trying to keep it away.

I really do love the look of it, it has a very inviting appeal, however it is something that needs to be maintained. If left to run wild..it will! but yes I must say I do indeed LOVE it

I've got it right now and can confirm it attracts not only insects, but rats too. Looks lovely yes, but not fun when you actually have it! (PS no I didn't plant it!)

Great feature but requires a bit of maintenance !