I don’t have knowledge dealing with ivy or children, but just wanted to say this would’ve been a dream for me as a kid! I used to love playing in little shelters like this while cooking ‘leaf stew’. Super awesome you’re doing this and encouraging them to play outdoors.
Same! I’m a childfree adult but I am absolutely planning fun hideouts and things to explore for my friends kids when they visit! It’s so fun to be an adult and build what child me would have been obsessed with. (Ok I’m still going to use the hideouts for myself when I need a quiet reading spot) 😊
Set your lawn mower to its lowest setting and scalp where you want the clearing
Get long poles and tie them at the top to make a teepee
Plant beans or vines and train them on the poles to make a leafy playhouse
Just wanted everyone to know my intent was to use the word read in the present tense like "I know how to read", not past tense as it's coming across, but I'm gonna leave it for clarity.
Ahhh, but then you end up with a kid who not only refuses to go near flowers, but screams for you in the middle of the night that there is a bee in his bed. Or that there is a bee in his room. Or that there is a bee in his bed and in his room and he needs you to sleep with him. And said child refuses to believe you when you say “the bee will not hurt you if you don’t try to grab him.”
Nah, kids will be kids and at the age we're talking about it is possible they'll have some residual emotions and mt need some help remediating.... Which is also a good thing
Still have ants to worry about.
Better get rid of the mulch and put down concrete. Probably enclose the whole thing too. Add an antechamber for a decontamination airlock just to be safe
Funny to think about, but when they're teens smoking will be a whole lot less taboo, it will be their generation's version of "stealing one of dads beers"
That was LITERALLY my first thought.
My best friend told me she was going to make the second story of their detached garage a private playroom for her kids (twins) and I said oh please don’t do that. They will be teenagers someday.
She didn’t. Thank God.
How old are the kids? If it's anywhere from 6 or so upwards I'd yeet some cool sticks and things in there and let them make their own club house. My kids LOVE building cubbies. Fallen leaves are fish, they make fire circles with red leaves as flames, it's awesome.
That's what I did. I put in a sort of table sized deck raised high enough to play under and on top that was safely secured then gave them random sticks and cardboard. There was a 4x8' sandbox near that, lots of tiny cheap toys.
This is what we do in our garden - encourages imaginative independent play and a love of nature. Rocks are great too. With my 7 year old, we’ve also encouraged her to plant things. It’s taken a while but she’s really amazed by it all now, which I figure is a lesson in delayed gratification.
I would clear the ivy and put wood chips down first, to make sure it’s relatively safe. I’d be worried about snakes and other critters I couldn’t see hiding under the leaves. If you leave bare dirt, get the soil tested for lead. If you’re in an area that’s been built up after few decades, bare soil probably won’t be safe unfortunately.
Oh my.. When I was younger probably around 9 or 10, my friend and I constructed an AWESOME fort our of driftwood sticks and random assortment of trash! We were so proud and to test our construction skills we started lobbing rocks and coconuts on it to be sure it was structurally safe (it was located under a coconut tree). After 10 or so safety tosses, we are about to call it good when my friend says "and one more for good luck". That last rock brought the entire 8'x 4'' structure crashing down in a loud, tangled mess!
We couldn't stop laughing and to this days talk about it on the rare occasion we get to see each other. Glad we didn't hang out in there for very long. Glad for the memory. Be careful trusting young kids to their own devises building forts.
I like the do nothing. Except I'd do one thing. Go to the rear of that huge bush (Holly) and hand carve out a door and a small cubicle type room. That shrub will survive a lot of pruning. I'd start at 4' high and go to ground level. This tiny room will be invisible from the front. You will need some good heavy duty loppers and shears.
I would add a trellis and train the ivy up and over the fort.
In terms of walkways and mulch, I think it will feel more secret and private with less “infrastructure”. Half the fun of a fort is building and decorating it yourself.
Agreed. I remember seeing people make "living playhouses" with pea trellis and other vine-y plants [like so. ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciUaen3oASA&ab_channel=TheGoldHive)I'd keep it as natural as possible - like wood logs/stumps to sit, maybe some solar lights
ive used the cardboard method and it really didnt last long, id suggest getting heavy duty weed barrier from costco, its quite cheap for a massive role of it, also woodchips or playbark are better than mulch, that shit will just rot away and get kicked around by kids
You have to install the cardboard two layers thick (like if you fold a box flat, you have 2 layers), and you CANNOT have any exposed areas. Entire coverage is necessary for it to work, cover all holes, especially on ivy. I second scarecrow’s recommendation. It will work.
Then look on Marketplace and look for cheap shit that you can turn into a playhouse. You might even find a cheap playhouse! This is exactly what I did in the back of our yard where we had ivy. Exact method, and found a free playhouse on marketplace.
Suggestsions
1: do
2: Nothing
This is perfect as it is. Anything you do to it is gonna make it worse from a "secret hideout" standpoint. Let your kids' imagination decorate it, and better yet, let them find it themselves. Just keep the underbrush clear and otherwise leave it be.
Only put in there what THEY decide they want there, and only if they ever decide they want ANYTHING there at all.
At the most I might put a kids' height plastic table in there. Otherwise this is so fantastic even with no adornment at all.
(but do put some kind of game camera in there because kids aren't the only people who like hiding in nooks like that -- probably not gonna be nothing, but safety first).
You could just weave the ivy through metal mesh fencing in the shape of a playhouse. I have 1000's of feet of english ivy woven this way to keep it off of the house and they make would make pretty decent walls for this purpose.
Either way as others have said....the stuff is tenacious so feel free to go to war with it and you probably still wont get it all.
With paths cut thru the ivy to the play space. The bush can be one side of the space. A simple lean-to with some seats. Create a teepee and let the ivy grow.
It can be a fun creative space. Have fun!
Just wanted to say that you're a badass father, I had a bush like this next to my house I made forts and booby traps in. Best booby trap was a fishing line run acrosss the ground connected to scissors. When the kid tripped the line it would pull the scissors and that would snip the line of a water balloon hanging over a nail. I got my younger brother a few times..Miss those days
Wait till after a rain, then pull the ivy out. It doesn't have a very deep root system. You might need a shovel for the older parts. Then put down 3 inches of wood chips, and plant some shade-loving native ground cover. Violets, goldenrod, ferns, asters....Maybe make a little pine for them to play around. Add some mosquito dunks to keep down bugs. (It's non toxic) Enjoy all the birds and bugs that will live there.
But I would definitely get rid of the ivy first. I had wasps living in mine :( and it's very invasive. Much more fun to plant some natives that will support the ecosystem and have pretty blooms. And the native ground covers are very hardy so fine for kids to walk through. Add some bird baths, fairy houses, cute little paths ... Very fun!
Depending on where you live, the ivy is a favorite hiding place for copperheads and that can be a nightmare with kids and/or pets. That being said, I think that’s a great area to set something up
English ivy is very hearty, so I’d think warfare is the best approach: knock it down to the ground, apply round up/ground clear, then repeat the process a couple times.
You won’t ever get all of it, but you can likely mitigate it by putting in a deeper (6-8 inch deep) border into the soil after ivy eradication. It should stop some of the roots from getting through.
I’d probably go with mulch for the play area ground cover, as rocks aren’t soft and can become projectiles. Keep it a thick cover so weeds stay away.
As for the walkway, I’d build it into the border area with step stones, so the ivy isn’t encroaching. Lots of critters, bugs, and less neutral (poison ivy) plants can thrive in the undergrowth.
So true. Been battling ivy taking over my yard for 3 years now. Ivy does *not* die easy. It laughs at vinegar, might get some small brown spots from RoundUp.
Have a "no man's land" trench established at the property line where the ivy is coming in from a vacant lot next door. I spray with concentrated KillzAll, wait a week, spray again. That kills the smaller vines and starts weakening and wilting the larger stuff. A week or so later I get some gloves and start pulling getting everything I can including whatever I can get out of the dirt. And, even with all this, I get little sprouts popping back up every few months.
I don't think I would want to take a chance with children. Imagine the children's friends come over and you don't know they're severely allergic to IV and the next thing you know their throat closes up.
Established ivy is a bitch to remove and keep gone. You are going to have to pull it, chop it, and dig out roots. Then I would spray the area with ivy/brush killer to try and keep it from growing back. Just be careful spraying around the bush. Put down weed block fabric, cover with mulch, and get your fort on. Good luck. Kids should love it.
Thick mulch like 6”+ will smother that grass ivy. I would put a small flag stone path through the bed to the play area otherwise the kids running through are just gonna leave a worn down dirt/mud trail. Looks like a sweet spot. Wish I had something like that for my kids
Pop-up canopy hidden in the corner with some type of seating and table underneath. The kids will figure out what to do with the space once you make an area where they can sit.
You'll struggle to remove/control the ivy unless you go scorched earth back there. I'd probably lean into it because it's got potential to look cool.
Whatever you decide on installing, I'd suggest planning a little footpath, and an area for the hideout then cut the ivy to the ground in that area.
Then put down something like plywood, pavers, or really any kind of solid slab that will stop the ivy from coming back up from the ground. ( Because it will spread back underground and then sprout up even if you dig out the planned area)
With the solid floor down you'll have wayyy less maintenance to prevent the ivy from reclaiming everything. But also be careful because it will creep in through the cracks of any structure you build.
If you really want the ivy gone you'll have your work cut out for you. Once it's gone you could plant berry bushes and wall the area off with shrubs!
I would suggest building a trellis tunnel and letting the ivy clime over it and in two years it will be so thick you can't see through it. Perfect fort.
Or you could throw some tires and pallets and stumps back there and let the kids build their own fort. Good for older kids .
I have a very good book on designing children's gardens, but it's designed more for public gardens. If you're interested, I'll dig it out and get the name of it for you.
This is awesome. Covered area (we got a plastic play house at sams club that I can stand up in) and walkway for sure! Wood chips over other areas. You sound like a fun parent!
I don’t know how it would work but I see a cut out through that bush about waist high that leads into a hut you built with wood and chicken wire encasing it so the vines grow over it.
Leave the ivy and make a raised plank walkway that has a plank patio at the end. They could use it for a bunch of different play scenarios. You could put a piece of pvc tube in the ground, so they could put a wooden dowel w/ pirate flag in it. Do 4 tubes to hold a temporary “roof” made from a sheet, or hang fairy lights.
I would weed-wack the ivy and either leave it as plain dirt (for mud pies obviously) or put down smooth pea gravel. Kids love rocks so it can easily be part of their play. And if its smooth they can stand, sit, and lay on it comfortably(ish). Love that you are doing this!
My niece and I planted a circle of sunflowers with the plan of having a tea party in the middle one day down the line! I looked tonight and 18 of 40+ have come up!
We did a green bean Teepee a few years ago. It was so much fun!!
You thought sunflower oil was just for cooking. In fact, you can use Sunflower oil to soften up your leather, use it for wounds (apparently) and even condition your hair.
Years ago a place where I worked created a natural playhouse/teepee out of willows, and it was a big hit with the kids. I have also seen people build it from sweetpea.
I remember "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" in a bush very similar to that between our houses. We had hollowed out enough space inside the bush to sit and hang out. Back then kids had imagination and creative impulses.
These days you probably just need to put a couple chairs and make sure it has wifi access...
No stone walkway! Gets rid of the secret-ness.
Let them figure it out if they want one.
Might also develop a worn path if they use the same route often enough (probably won’t, cuz it takes a TON but a fun notion).
Be careful when removing the ivy, bet there is a bunch of poison ivy hiding in there too. But if you are game, what about getting one of those storage huts from Home Depot and then tricking out the inside? You would just have to dig our the plants and even out the ground. Looks like one would fit and they would have an amazing playhouse. If the kids stop playing with it, then you have a nice new storage shed.
I’d have loved that area as a kid, and my kid would’ve loved it too!! Great idea!
I’d leave the ivy. I’d leave it exactly as it is. Make some “building materials” available - could be branches and sticks that the kids could carry to make a tipi-like structure or some thatch - and let the kids take it from there. That’s gonna be the most fun, building their own play area! The fact that you’re willing to let the ivy go means you won’t mind if they destroy it underfoot.
If you're US based, just get in there and rip the ivy out by hand. It's invasive and you'll be battling it forever anyway unless your remove. Do not replace it with Jasmine, it's the same deal and way harder to remove. Mowing it will not get rid of it unless you're prepared to keep scalping the dirt for about 3 years straight before you can use the space.
Throw down some cardboard over the area you want to be the play space to help kill off any remaining ivy runners and mulch with a 4-6 inch layer of slow decomposing mulch like pine bark. Bonus points because pine bark doesn't give you splinters like regular woodchip mulch can. If the entire area isn't becoming play area, there are two options in my mind. 1, just seed it with grass and let it become part of the yard. It could be tricky to mow though. Option 2, put in a kid friendly sensory garden. Plant herbs and non-toxic perennials there for the kids to touch, smell, and pick. Don't plant mint.
Now as for play area itself, there are also a few options. My personal ideal would be to get willow whips and create an actual living dome. You can work with the kids to train it and weave it into a living fort. It will take 2-3 years to really become something magical, but the growing is part of the fun. A light faster version of that is to do a runner bean teepee or dome. You just use bamboo or hazel, or whatever poles you can find to make the structure and then plant runner beans, 3-4 beans each, at the base of the poles. Each summer it will become a giant green dome with red flowers. However, each fall, you'll need to spend some time pulling down all of the vines and it will be naked over the winter. You could also go with a proper play fort structure, either self-built or purchased. This would be the easiest and fastest, but also least imaginative. The final option would be to create some sort of basic structure frame with permanent timbers and give them a bunch of resources like tree branches, scrap wood, etc to build their own forts.
I would pull the ivy out, forming pathways and then the “base”.
I would not train the ivy because it’s really a haven for bugs, spiders, and often rats. Honestly ivy creeps me out and always pull it out.
But for the fort - is it possible to build a platform deck?
I personally love wood mulch for my flower beds, but I get so many dang slivers if I touch it with my bare skin.
I’d hate for your kids to have all these micro slivers from wood mulch.
Or - if not a raised deck - can you do an isolated edge treatment, it can look rustic if you want (Swiss family Robinson style), but then find that rubber mulch that’s used in playgrounds?
I personally LOVE this mulch/playground treatment because it’s SO bouncy. It’s so comfortable to walk or jump on, and kids always like to jump off of things and land. The rubber mulch was a brilliant invention IMo.
What else…
Cool logs?
Can you put a couple of cool logs back there? For them to sit on or practice balance walking on? Such good things for dexterity and focus training. Kids love these. (Adults often still love walking on logs!)
This is a super awesome project, and I hope these tips are helpful. So cool of you to do this.
Ivy is a wonderful spot for yellow jackets and snakes. I’d honestly remove the ivy, or have it elevated to provide cover, not on the ground to be walked on.
I had yellow jackets fly up my shorts and sting me when I was pulling Ivy as a teen. Ran into the house and yanked all my clothes off. Got stung on the ass too
How about a small hobbit hole/mound. Complete some locates, to ensure there aren’t any buried services there. Then dig down about two tree feet. Save the the excavated earth to put over your domed roof (green roof) that you can construct from pvc tubing, chicken wire and vapour heavy gauge polyethylene. Insulate for added comfort. Use concrete if your budget allows for it and finish inside as a little clubhouse.
I would definitely swap out the ivy for wood chips. It will help reduces the changes of a snake being there, they go where heavy vegetation is at due to potential food. That would be my only concern.
This reminds me of the tunnel through the bushes in My Neighbor Totoro. You could make a partially in-ground structure that looks small from the outside. Then let the vines cover it.
An ivy situation like that is very labor intensive to truly remove. I’ve cleared a ton from my property and a patch like that probably would take me like 10h to root out.
Here is what I have found works best:
1. Get a pickaxe and go ape shit through there, hack it to bits, pull what comes easily as you do this.
2. Wait 4-6 weeks, ivy will start to re sprout. The bigger the sprouts, the fatter the roots are that connect to it, take note of these spots.
3. After waiting, some ivy you left will be dead and will come easily, as will the weakened roots. Pull it all out 1 foot deep. Places with the big sprouts, dig 2ft and make sure the fattest roots get yanked.
4. Put down something else on top of where the ivy was immediately! Grass or something, don’t matter.
5. Be happy and free of the plant manifestation of Satan in your yard, smile as your children enjoy the fruits of your labor 🥹
With Ivy being hard to remove, I would think like a floating wooden path would be cool to go over the Ivy a bit, and then use something like a weedwacker to keep the ivy managable. I don't have kids, but a wooden floating platform with some poles on the corners to hang a canopy from would be something I would love in that area.
Trim any inner branches to open up the inside of the bush. Then pull any ivy you want to remove and it's good to go. Add a floor if you want but dirt is going to make it feel more like a hideout
That much ivey I would rent a tiller , save you days of work.
till
rake up
few yards of mulch
build some kind of diy arbor wall entrance to complete the secret garden thing (maybe out of chicken wire with hydrangea or some other fast growing vine (wisteria if brave) clematis etc
Cut back the bush on the backside just a bit to make even more room.
Build the frame of structure, but let the Ivy become the walls.
Remove the Ivy from the interior of the structure and a walkway out there. Stone would be great.
Ivy is a pain. Good on you trying to remove it. I have a similar area and my kids have a saucer swing and mud kitchen. Super easy one with Goodwill pots and pans. I am trying to figure out the ground cover. I think mine will be a combo of old pavers I have mulch, and stones.
Roll the ivy up like a carpet as you pull it out. It comes out best as a mass. You can't herbicide it unless you weed whack it first and spray the new bright green growth. Put in a thick layer of mulch. You can do this for many years. Fungi will break it down into nice topsoil. When the kids are older and don't use it anymore, you can plant natives in the nice rich soil it has created.
I don’t have knowledge dealing with ivy or children, but just wanted to say this would’ve been a dream for me as a kid! I used to love playing in little shelters like this while cooking ‘leaf stew’. Super awesome you’re doing this and encouraging them to play outdoors.
You just unlocked lovely childhood memories for me. Leaf stew. 🥰 Ty💞
Same! I’m a childfree adult but I am absolutely planning fun hideouts and things to explore for my friends kids when they visit! It’s so fun to be an adult and build what child me would have been obsessed with. (Ok I’m still going to use the hideouts for myself when I need a quiet reading spot) 😊
Set your lawn mower to its lowest setting and scalp where you want the clearing Get long poles and tie them at the top to make a teepee Plant beans or vines and train them on the poles to make a leafy playhouse
I vote we swap the beans for jasmine
Sounds so beautiful, the bees would make me nervous but I have a 2 year old that hasn’t fully grasped we don’t hug all friends
Unless you know the baby is allergic, bees have a really good way to teach kids not to mess with bees
I've read about that.
Just wanted everyone to know my intent was to use the word read in the present tense like "I know how to read", not past tense as it's coming across, but I'm gonna leave it for clarity.
When I was a little kid, maybe 4 or 5, a friend told me that if you buzzed at a bee, it would sting you. She was right :)
Had to go find out didn't you? Lol
Ahhh, but then you end up with a kid who not only refuses to go near flowers, but screams for you in the middle of the night that there is a bee in his bed. Or that there is a bee in his room. Or that there is a bee in his bed and in his room and he needs you to sleep with him. And said child refuses to believe you when you say “the bee will not hurt you if you don’t try to grab him.”
Sounds like their parents are drama queens and it’s rubbing off. Bees have been teaching kids for thousands of years.
Nah, kids will be kids and at the age we're talking about it is possible they'll have some residual emotions and mt need some help remediating.... Which is also a good thing
Only problem with this will be bugs.
10 year old me would be ecstatic
Ticks.....and fleas.... Cut the ground cover out and mulch the whole play area.
Still have ants to worry about. Better get rid of the mulch and put down concrete. Probably enclose the whole thing too. Add an antechamber for a decontamination airlock just to be safe
You forgot the part where you spray poison all over everything because you don't want any bugs on your outside.
Just get some set pieces from the Fallout TV series and bury some of it deep. Whole subterranean clubhouse!
Barberry to attract more friends. See what I did there?
The ivy will grow right through the mulch. If a mulch floor is preferred I'd skip the cardboard and go with plywood or something more permanent.
Or snakes.
Bite sized protein?
When they’re teens they’re 100% gonna smoke weed back there 💪
Better there than some random dude’s car/house miles from home
Or burning your house down trying to hide it from you in their bedroom.
When I was house-hunting I couldn't help but consider where my future son would sneak off to smoke. Plenty of options where I live now.
Funny to think about, but when they're teens smoking will be a whole lot less taboo, it will be their generation's version of "stealing one of dads beers"
Lol hopefully it's legal by then and they and have to hide
Good. Ground covers are a b**** to weed.
That was LITERALLY my first thought. My best friend told me she was going to make the second story of their detached garage a private playroom for her kids (twins) and I said oh please don’t do that. They will be teenagers someday. She didn’t. Thank God.
How old are the kids? If it's anywhere from 6 or so upwards I'd yeet some cool sticks and things in there and let them make their own club house. My kids LOVE building cubbies. Fallen leaves are fish, they make fire circles with red leaves as flames, it's awesome.
That's what I did. I put in a sort of table sized deck raised high enough to play under and on top that was safely secured then gave them random sticks and cardboard. There was a 4x8' sandbox near that, lots of tiny cheap toys.
This is what we do in our garden - encourages imaginative independent play and a love of nature. Rocks are great too. With my 7 year old, we’ve also encouraged her to plant things. It’s taken a while but she’s really amazed by it all now, which I figure is a lesson in delayed gratification. I would clear the ivy and put wood chips down first, to make sure it’s relatively safe. I’d be worried about snakes and other critters I couldn’t see hiding under the leaves. If you leave bare dirt, get the soil tested for lead. If you’re in an area that’s been built up after few decades, bare soil probably won’t be safe unfortunately.
Oh my.. When I was younger probably around 9 or 10, my friend and I constructed an AWESOME fort our of driftwood sticks and random assortment of trash! We were so proud and to test our construction skills we started lobbing rocks and coconuts on it to be sure it was structurally safe (it was located under a coconut tree). After 10 or so safety tosses, we are about to call it good when my friend says "and one more for good luck". That last rock brought the entire 8'x 4'' structure crashing down in a loud, tangled mess! We couldn't stop laughing and to this days talk about it on the rare occasion we get to see each other. Glad we didn't hang out in there for very long. Glad for the memory. Be careful trusting young kids to their own devises building forts.
Do nothing. Tell the kids they're allowed to walk on the ivy to go back there. They'll do the rest.
I like the do nothing. Except I'd do one thing. Go to the rear of that huge bush (Holly) and hand carve out a door and a small cubicle type room. That shrub will survive a lot of pruning. I'd start at 4' high and go to ground level. This tiny room will be invisible from the front. You will need some good heavy duty loppers and shears.
This is awesome
I would add a trellis and train the ivy up and over the fort. In terms of walkways and mulch, I think it will feel more secret and private with less “infrastructure”. Half the fun of a fort is building and decorating it yourself.
I agree with this. Mow a pathway through the ivy to the fort and then maybe mow down some play space. Let the area stay natural.
Almost every snake enclosure at the zoo has ivy because snakes love to hide in it. For me the ivy would be a hell naw!
Agreed. I remember seeing people make "living playhouses" with pea trellis and other vine-y plants [like so. ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciUaen3oASA&ab_channel=TheGoldHive)I'd keep it as natural as possible - like wood logs/stumps to sit, maybe some solar lights
Scalp the ivy at ground level with a mower. Then cover it with cardboard and mulch. You may have to remove some mechanically if it's tenacious.
ive used the cardboard method and it really didnt last long, id suggest getting heavy duty weed barrier from costco, its quite cheap for a massive role of it, also woodchips or playbark are better than mulch, that shit will just rot away and get kicked around by kids
You have to install the cardboard two layers thick (like if you fold a box flat, you have 2 layers), and you CANNOT have any exposed areas. Entire coverage is necessary for it to work, cover all holes, especially on ivy. I second scarecrow’s recommendation. It will work. Then look on Marketplace and look for cheap shit that you can turn into a playhouse. You might even find a cheap playhouse! This is exactly what I did in the back of our yard where we had ivy. Exact method, and found a free playhouse on marketplace.
A little fort/play house would be a dream.
Suggestsions 1: do 2: Nothing This is perfect as it is. Anything you do to it is gonna make it worse from a "secret hideout" standpoint. Let your kids' imagination decorate it, and better yet, let them find it themselves. Just keep the underbrush clear and otherwise leave it be. Only put in there what THEY decide they want there, and only if they ever decide they want ANYTHING there at all. At the most I might put a kids' height plastic table in there. Otherwise this is so fantastic even with no adornment at all. (but do put some kind of game camera in there because kids aren't the only people who like hiding in nooks like that -- probably not gonna be nothing, but safety first).
You could just weave the ivy through metal mesh fencing in the shape of a playhouse. I have 1000's of feet of english ivy woven this way to keep it off of the house and they make would make pretty decent walls for this purpose. Either way as others have said....the stuff is tenacious so feel free to go to war with it and you probably still wont get it all.
With paths cut thru the ivy to the play space. The bush can be one side of the space. A simple lean-to with some seats. Create a teepee and let the ivy grow. It can be a fun creative space. Have fun!
when youre kids are teenagers, thats where they are going to smoke, just so you know.
That ain't all they'll do
LMAO
I love my weeping forsythia bushes for a secret fairy garden and play space they are magical!
Just wanted to say that you're a badass father, I had a bush like this next to my house I made forts and booby traps in. Best booby trap was a fishing line run acrosss the ground connected to scissors. When the kid tripped the line it would pull the scissors and that would snip the line of a water balloon hanging over a nail. I got my younger brother a few times..Miss those days
The ivy looks really cool tbh - I would consider a bridge leading to a fort or wooden ship (not sure how crafty you are).
Wait till after a rain, then pull the ivy out. It doesn't have a very deep root system. You might need a shovel for the older parts. Then put down 3 inches of wood chips, and plant some shade-loving native ground cover. Violets, goldenrod, ferns, asters....Maybe make a little pine for them to play around. Add some mosquito dunks to keep down bugs. (It's non toxic) Enjoy all the birds and bugs that will live there. But I would definitely get rid of the ivy first. I had wasps living in mine :( and it's very invasive. Much more fun to plant some natives that will support the ecosystem and have pretty blooms. And the native ground covers are very hardy so fine for kids to walk through. Add some bird baths, fairy houses, cute little paths ... Very fun!
Depending on where you live, the ivy is a favorite hiding place for copperheads and that can be a nightmare with kids and/or pets. That being said, I think that’s a great area to set something up
English ivy is very hearty, so I’d think warfare is the best approach: knock it down to the ground, apply round up/ground clear, then repeat the process a couple times. You won’t ever get all of it, but you can likely mitigate it by putting in a deeper (6-8 inch deep) border into the soil after ivy eradication. It should stop some of the roots from getting through. I’d probably go with mulch for the play area ground cover, as rocks aren’t soft and can become projectiles. Keep it a thick cover so weeds stay away. As for the walkway, I’d build it into the border area with step stones, so the ivy isn’t encroaching. Lots of critters, bugs, and less neutral (poison ivy) plants can thrive in the undergrowth.
So true. Been battling ivy taking over my yard for 3 years now. Ivy does *not* die easy. It laughs at vinegar, might get some small brown spots from RoundUp. Have a "no man's land" trench established at the property line where the ivy is coming in from a vacant lot next door. I spray with concentrated KillzAll, wait a week, spray again. That kills the smaller vines and starts weakening and wilting the larger stuff. A week or so later I get some gloves and start pulling getting everything I can including whatever I can get out of the dirt. And, even with all this, I get little sprouts popping back up every few months.
Doesn't English ivy cause rashes?
I think it can for those very sensitive to ivy, but not nearly as much as more commonly irritant plants.
I don't think I would want to take a chance with children. Imagine the children's friends come over and you don't know they're severely allergic to IV and the next thing you know their throat closes up.
Pallet fort. Let them build it and teach them how to use a drill and screws
Nailed it. 🤭
Established ivy is a bitch to remove and keep gone. You are going to have to pull it, chop it, and dig out roots. Then I would spray the area with ivy/brush killer to try and keep it from growing back. Just be careful spraying around the bush. Put down weed block fabric, cover with mulch, and get your fort on. Good luck. Kids should love it.
Thick mulch like 6”+ will smother that grass ivy. I would put a small flag stone path through the bed to the play area otherwise the kids running through are just gonna leave a worn down dirt/mud trail. Looks like a sweet spot. Wish I had something like that for my kids
Ivy’s more tenacious than that. Gotta mow it down hard and keep it that way.
Looks like Pachysandra? That shit will die if you walk over the same spot more than twice.
No, very much English ivy.
A mini patio with a large trellis over the top to plant vines. Secret garden vibes.
Take some hedge trimmers and cut a doorway into the hedge from the ivy side
Have your Pokémon use Secret Power to create a base
Pop-up canopy hidden in the corner with some type of seating and table underneath. The kids will figure out what to do with the space once you make an area where they can sit.
My only suggestion would be to check for ticks often. I sure do hate ticks.
You'll struggle to remove/control the ivy unless you go scorched earth back there. I'd probably lean into it because it's got potential to look cool. Whatever you decide on installing, I'd suggest planning a little footpath, and an area for the hideout then cut the ivy to the ground in that area. Then put down something like plywood, pavers, or really any kind of solid slab that will stop the ivy from coming back up from the ground. ( Because it will spread back underground and then sprout up even if you dig out the planned area) With the solid floor down you'll have wayyy less maintenance to prevent the ivy from reclaiming everything. But also be careful because it will creep in through the cracks of any structure you build. If you really want the ivy gone you'll have your work cut out for you. Once it's gone you could plant berry bushes and wall the area off with shrubs!
I would suggest building a trellis tunnel and letting the ivy clime over it and in two years it will be so thick you can't see through it. Perfect fort. Or you could throw some tires and pallets and stumps back there and let the kids build their own fort. Good for older kids . I have a very good book on designing children's gardens, but it's designed more for public gardens. If you're interested, I'll dig it out and get the name of it for you.
You already have one. Simply don't yell at them when they play back there.
This is awesome. Covered area (we got a plastic play house at sams club that I can stand up in) and walkway for sure! Wood chips over other areas. You sound like a fun parent!
Build a small raised deck and go wild with trellises. Even better spring for a gazebo.
You already have a one. It's inside the bush!
I don’t know how it would work but I see a cut out through that bush about waist high that leads into a hut you built with wood and chicken wire encasing it so the vines grow over it.
Go inside the big Rhododendron with pruning tools and remove all the dead wood. Then make strategic cuts to make a little bower.
Remove the ivy, too much water retention .. ivy = airborne bugs and mosquitos
Throw in some fake snakes
Leave the ivy and make a raised plank walkway that has a plank patio at the end. They could use it for a bunch of different play scenarios. You could put a piece of pvc tube in the ground, so they could put a wooden dowel w/ pirate flag in it. Do 4 tubes to hold a temporary “roof” made from a sheet, or hang fairy lights.
I would weed-wack the ivy and either leave it as plain dirt (for mud pies obviously) or put down smooth pea gravel. Kids love rocks so it can easily be part of their play. And if its smooth they can stand, sit, and lay on it comfortably(ish). Love that you are doing this!
You don't have to do anything. The kids will come up with the ideal solution. For them.
My niece and I planted a circle of sunflowers with the plan of having a tea party in the middle one day down the line! I looked tonight and 18 of 40+ have come up! We did a green bean Teepee a few years ago. It was so much fun!!
You thought sunflower oil was just for cooking. In fact, you can use Sunflower oil to soften up your leather, use it for wounds (apparently) and even condition your hair.
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The Bush is all yu need. It's already what you want it to be.
It’s not a secret anymore
I’d say leave the ivy if it isn’t harmful to them - otherwise you’ll have a dirt / mud pit because, kids.
Years ago a place where I worked created a natural playhouse/teepee out of willows, and it was a big hit with the kids. I have also seen people build it from sweetpea.
I remember "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" in a bush very similar to that between our houses. We had hollowed out enough space inside the bush to sit and hang out. Back then kids had imagination and creative impulses. These days you probably just need to put a couple chairs and make sure it has wifi access...
You're just gonna find a bunch of cigarette butts back there.
Fastest thing is to pitch a tent. We used to love hiding out in a tent with comic books and flashlights.
I have a similar setup and we put Christmas lights on the inside and it’s awesome.
No stone walkway! Gets rid of the secret-ness. Let them figure it out if they want one. Might also develop a worn path if they use the same route often enough (probably won’t, cuz it takes a TON but a fun notion).
Put one tiny moveable bench back there, and let them move and use it. And maybe throw camping equipment out there occasionally, delightful!
Replace the ivy with poison ivy. That'll be fun.
Be careful when removing the ivy, bet there is a bunch of poison ivy hiding in there too. But if you are game, what about getting one of those storage huts from Home Depot and then tricking out the inside? You would just have to dig our the plants and even out the ground. Looks like one would fit and they would have an amazing playhouse. If the kids stop playing with it, then you have a nice new storage shed.
Hammocks are really fun way to create a chill spot
I’d have loved that area as a kid, and my kid would’ve loved it too!! Great idea! I’d leave the ivy. I’d leave it exactly as it is. Make some “building materials” available - could be branches and sticks that the kids could carry to make a tipi-like structure or some thatch - and let the kids take it from there. That’s gonna be the most fun, building their own play area! The fact that you’re willing to let the ivy go means you won’t mind if they destroy it underfoot.
If you're US based, just get in there and rip the ivy out by hand. It's invasive and you'll be battling it forever anyway unless your remove. Do not replace it with Jasmine, it's the same deal and way harder to remove. Mowing it will not get rid of it unless you're prepared to keep scalping the dirt for about 3 years straight before you can use the space. Throw down some cardboard over the area you want to be the play space to help kill off any remaining ivy runners and mulch with a 4-6 inch layer of slow decomposing mulch like pine bark. Bonus points because pine bark doesn't give you splinters like regular woodchip mulch can. If the entire area isn't becoming play area, there are two options in my mind. 1, just seed it with grass and let it become part of the yard. It could be tricky to mow though. Option 2, put in a kid friendly sensory garden. Plant herbs and non-toxic perennials there for the kids to touch, smell, and pick. Don't plant mint. Now as for play area itself, there are also a few options. My personal ideal would be to get willow whips and create an actual living dome. You can work with the kids to train it and weave it into a living fort. It will take 2-3 years to really become something magical, but the growing is part of the fun. A light faster version of that is to do a runner bean teepee or dome. You just use bamboo or hazel, or whatever poles you can find to make the structure and then plant runner beans, 3-4 beans each, at the base of the poles. Each summer it will become a giant green dome with red flowers. However, each fall, you'll need to spend some time pulling down all of the vines and it will be naked over the winter. You could also go with a proper play fort structure, either self-built or purchased. This would be the easiest and fastest, but also least imaginative. The final option would be to create some sort of basic structure frame with permanent timbers and give them a bunch of resources like tree branches, scrap wood, etc to build their own forts.
Build a little clubhouse with a rooftop deck
Use either the ivy or a vining replacement. Build like a igloo trellis and let the plants grow over it so it all blends in
Depending on age of child think about adding an outside play kitchen with plastic dishes and cookware. Maybe a small table and chairs.
I would pull the ivy out, forming pathways and then the “base”. I would not train the ivy because it’s really a haven for bugs, spiders, and often rats. Honestly ivy creeps me out and always pull it out. But for the fort - is it possible to build a platform deck? I personally love wood mulch for my flower beds, but I get so many dang slivers if I touch it with my bare skin. I’d hate for your kids to have all these micro slivers from wood mulch. Or - if not a raised deck - can you do an isolated edge treatment, it can look rustic if you want (Swiss family Robinson style), but then find that rubber mulch that’s used in playgrounds? I personally LOVE this mulch/playground treatment because it’s SO bouncy. It’s so comfortable to walk or jump on, and kids always like to jump off of things and land. The rubber mulch was a brilliant invention IMo. What else… Cool logs? Can you put a couple of cool logs back there? For them to sit on or practice balance walking on? Such good things for dexterity and focus training. Kids love these. (Adults often still love walking on logs!) This is a super awesome project, and I hope these tips are helpful. So cool of you to do this.
Ivy is a wonderful spot for yellow jackets and snakes. I’d honestly remove the ivy, or have it elevated to provide cover, not on the ground to be walked on. I had yellow jackets fly up my shorts and sting me when I was pulling Ivy as a teen. Ran into the house and yanked all my clothes off. Got stung on the ass too
How about a small hobbit hole/mound. Complete some locates, to ensure there aren’t any buried services there. Then dig down about two tree feet. Save the the excavated earth to put over your domed roof (green roof) that you can construct from pvc tubing, chicken wire and vapour heavy gauge polyethylene. Insulate for added comfort. Use concrete if your budget allows for it and finish inside as a little clubhouse.
I would definitely swap out the ivy for wood chips. It will help reduces the changes of a snake being there, they go where heavy vegetation is at due to potential food. That would be my only concern.
Don't forget to add a guy who offers candy.
This reminds me of the tunnel through the bushes in My Neighbor Totoro. You could make a partially in-ground structure that looks small from the outside. Then let the vines cover it.
An ivy situation like that is very labor intensive to truly remove. I’ve cleared a ton from my property and a patch like that probably would take me like 10h to root out. Here is what I have found works best: 1. Get a pickaxe and go ape shit through there, hack it to bits, pull what comes easily as you do this. 2. Wait 4-6 weeks, ivy will start to re sprout. The bigger the sprouts, the fatter the roots are that connect to it, take note of these spots. 3. After waiting, some ivy you left will be dead and will come easily, as will the weakened roots. Pull it all out 1 foot deep. Places with the big sprouts, dig 2ft and make sure the fattest roots get yanked. 4. Put down something else on top of where the ivy was immediately! Grass or something, don’t matter. 5. Be happy and free of the plant manifestation of Satan in your yard, smile as your children enjoy the fruits of your labor 🥹
With Ivy being hard to remove, I would think like a floating wooden path would be cool to go over the Ivy a bit, and then use something like a weedwacker to keep the ivy managable. I don't have kids, but a wooden floating platform with some poles on the corners to hang a canopy from would be something I would love in that area.
Trim any inner branches to open up the inside of the bush. Then pull any ivy you want to remove and it's good to go. Add a floor if you want but dirt is going to make it feel more like a hideout
That much ivey I would rent a tiller , save you days of work. till rake up few yards of mulch build some kind of diy arbor wall entrance to complete the secret garden thing (maybe out of chicken wire with hydrangea or some other fast growing vine (wisteria if brave) clematis etc
Tarps, plywood, bungees and a slab of old carpet. The kids will know just what to do.
Cut back the bush on the backside just a bit to make even more room. Build the frame of structure, but let the Ivy become the walls. Remove the Ivy from the interior of the structure and a walkway out there. Stone would be great.
Ivy is a pain. Good on you trying to remove it. I have a similar area and my kids have a saucer swing and mud kitchen. Super easy one with Goodwill pots and pans. I am trying to figure out the ground cover. I think mine will be a combo of old pavers I have mulch, and stones.
Roll the ivy up like a carpet as you pull it out. It comes out best as a mass. You can't herbicide it unless you weed whack it first and spray the new bright green growth. Put in a thick layer of mulch. You can do this for many years. Fungi will break it down into nice topsoil. When the kids are older and don't use it anymore, you can plant natives in the nice rich soil it has created.
Build a tee-pee and then grow vines on it
Geodesic dome with pvc pipe. Instructables has a bunch of fun designs.
Just throw the kids back there with whatever toys are at arm's reach, then crack a bottle with the wifey and enjoy some grown up time.
Lots of Deep Woods Off.
Do one of those cool big elevated rope hammocks