Q: Many of my pines were covered in English ivy. On several trees I’ve clipped the vines on the trunk but the leaves still seem to be thriving.

A: It can take several weeks for English ivy vines to die. English ivy is not parasitic, so it draws no nourishment from a tree. The waxy leaves do an excellent job conserving the last bits of moisture available in the vine stem. Just be patient: the leaves will turn brown after a spell of hot weather.

ivy finally dead after 2 months in summer