Homeowner shocked after ripping out ivy tangled deep in yard: 'I had no idea those ... got so big'

One hardworking gardener was lauded as "a real big game hunter" by fellow Redditors after obliterating a genuinely horrifying tangle of roots, tacitly reminding us all about the many upsides of a native lawn. 

The user emerged with a striking "trophy" for their eradication efforts and shared three images to the r/invasivespecies subreddit:

Two of the photographs depicted the user holding roots that could best be described as a horror scenario. 

The horror was "a mix of ivy, blackberry and morning glory" (along with "a very thorny vining rose"), all of which can be invasive in the Pacific Northwest, where the user "annihilated" the depicted menace. One user asserted that one root was a dead giveaway in terms of location, adding that "ivy doesn't grow like that anywhere" besides Seattle.

The original poster confirmed that the largest root was in fact ivy, and said the morning glory roots were conversely "frustratingly small and break easily." In the comments, Reddit users exchanged horror stories about removing invasive plants.

One bemoaned a months-long effort to liberate their green spaces from some particularly aggressive ivy, and another reported battling ivy and morning glory in Tacoma. A third person said they spent years trying to eradicate some particularly stubborn blackberry brambles — a task the original poster agreed was "the worst part" of unearthing the tangle. 

The images of the truly massive root structure shocked a user who'd been less thorough when removing invasive ivy in the past. "Holy hell, I had no idea those rhizomes got so big," they admitted, adding: "I've always just torn [ivy] out superficially to subdue it."

A recurring theme in that discussion was the many ways invasive plant species can become an unavoidable, months-to-years-long chore for gardeners — which doesn't even get into the expense of maintaining or eradicating non-native plants. 

Although invasive plant removal is necessarily time-consuming (and inescapable at best), the task presents green-thumbed folks with an opportunity to rewild their yards in whole or in part afterward. 

Rewilding is not just a lower-cost, lower-stress option — the practice fortifies local ecosystems, conserves resources like water, and generally reduces time spent on maintenance. Rewilding initiatives are also known to encourage pollinator activity, which is extremely beneficial when it comes to our food supply.

What's the hardest thing about taking care of your yard? Mowing the lawn Controlling weeds Keeping pests at bay I don't have a yard Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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