I thought about writing this type of post ages ago, and then thought “no way ugh” and then last Sunday’s absolute deluge compelled me to write something. I was actually happy to have such a big storm, because the snow hasn’t been this deep in years.
The 2012 photo I’ve had in prep for YEARS (the wall to the right is much more viney now; the row of box hedge moved) The wind row (snowbank made by a plow) at the street
The above two pics and the header might not be the last time we had snowbanks 3 feet deep (but they might). I kept these from a 2012 post I’ve since deleted, when I blurbed about a big storm. We must have had one more big-snow winter since then, but it really is that rare.
Here’s what this year’s storms (two in the space of a week) left on everybody’s doorstep:
My house is distinctive for the vines I have growing on it. The only other neighbours who have vines are a house on the end of a row, with a big wall to cover.
Virginia Creeper on the house and garage wall
The Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) adorning my home has been here for 6 years. It’s ropey all the way to the top of the eavestrough. I trimmed it a lot the past year to stop its spread across the house and into the soffits, but spread is what Virginia Creeper does. Though to be fair, it falls back on its own, so it’s not unreasonable, and the configuration changes every once in a while. This makes it great to green-up a wall, especially if you are willing to “tutor” it across a large expanse of wall. If you don’t tutor it, it will detach and hang when it gets heavy.
For two years, I also let one climb the back wall, on the shady eastern side of the house. At the same time, I nabbed a “real” ivy plant and planted it in the same place, to have both. Parthenocissus tricuspidata “Veitchii” – Boston ivy – is not a native plant, and it’s not from Boston! Its leaves spread out row upon row – nicely, and less rambly. There’s ample room – like 10m2 – for it to spread. But it stayed stunted, so I suspected that Virginia creeper inhibits other plants. The creeper had to go.
The creeper easily climbed to my 2nd story bathroom window, but this was not the effect I wanted
In its place, I wanted to have a climber that thrived in the shade. So I bought Hydrangea anom. petiolaris – Climbing hydrangea (unfortunately, not native). This flowering vine grows upward more so than outward, and it looks like it will create boughs that support birds as well as its own flowers. It’s a slower grower than Virginia creeper and Boston ivy (giving the ivy a chance to get started), and it clings well. It should nicely fill in the rough brickwork without any overgrowth effects.
The climbing hydrangea, rooted in place on the right, with Boston ivy on the left (more pronounced). Later I transplanted the Boston ivy elsewhere, and the hydrangea really took off!
I left the Boston ivy there for now, so both are against the wall. It’s doing much better than when it was with the creeper. Next year, where I could remove the creeper from the front of the house and transplant this ivy there. I wouldn’t do that now, because I’d have to tear down the Virginia creeper just when it’s getting to the best part: the brilliant crimson it turns in fall.
And then again, I’m not even sure I want to replace the Virginia creeper out front, which is a native plant, after all. Maybe I’ll put the Boston ivy along the back fence, where it would cling better and be easier to control than Virginia creeper! (And that’s what I did.)
Virginia creeper in the fall
Finally I must say: It is not true that climbing vines damage your bricks. They attach to the surface by sending out little sucker pads that do not penetrate into the brickwork, and they also wind around each other. If you cut a section so that it dies, the suckers dehydrate and break off. You may have to scrape or scrub the remaining the plant matter off the surface, which is maintenance work, but it’s not damaging the pointing or whatever. Moreover, the vines help shade your home so that it’s cooler. They also give wild birds a welcome place to hang out, and berries and insects to eat. Finally, they just look nice. Stately, even.
If you’ve been to this blog at least once before, you’ve probably seen photos of my green driveway. In 2015, I converted a standard residential parking spot into a green driveway. It’s a portfolio pictorial. It took a month to “settle in,” but from mid-May, I’d gotten used to the results and I was quite happy!
Having seen the results over eight seasons (spring through winter, three years), I’m still pleased. It’s like an extra yard with cobblestone wheel paths, and after I got rid of my car, a space for my Adirondack chair.
And yet each year (just like before I put it in), some contractor dude drops by with a card to “fix” it. (I can’t blame him for pounding the pavement looking for clients, but still…). Sometimes he jots a quote on the back as to how much it would cost me to rip out my green driveway and put down some blacktop asphalt driveway.
You know, my green driveway cost a little more than what he’s quoting, because it was kinda fancy underneath, but I never will have to “repair” crack every five years ever again. No, thank you.
Crack repair
Because I used to have an asphalt driveway. About the only thing you can do on an asphalt or concrete driveway that you can’t do on mine is play basketball. And maybe make chalk drawings, but you know, the sidewalk’s right there, so that’s no biggie.
When I had asphalt, I had cracks in the driveway where plants would grow. (That’s why they’d wanna repair it.) But why would I let that crack bother me? Water percolating into the soil and being taken up by plants actually cools the air through transpiration.
“But frost heaves!” – it’s a driveway, not a highway; a little bump from a crack is not a problem.
“But bigger cracks!” More plants! There’s an aesthetic appeal to broken pavement, you know!
Why would I want black top + hot sun make my driveway and home hotter, rather than something cooling it down?
Besides, when the plants were growing in the cracks in my driveway, guess what the bunnies’ favourite outdoor snacks were? That’s right – CRACK SALAD!
In 2015, I posted about converting a standard residential parking spot into a green driveway. It’s a pictorial, part of our Project portfolio. Three months later (from mid-May to August), I’d gotten used to the results and I was quite happy!
Having now seen the results over the next seven seasons, I’m still pleased. It’s like an extra yard with cobblestone wheel paths, and after I got rid of my car, a space for my Adirondack chair.
Winter conditions
In February, the driveway is typically under a foot and a half of snow. With no car, I have little need to shovel it out. But if I did, the effort of shovelling a green driveway is different than that of a standard one.
For example, you cannot use salt, but nor do you need to clear the driveway right down to the ground. You shovel out the sidewalk and right-of-way on the street, and you shovel out your access to the car doors. When the snow packs and turns to ice, if you need it, you can put down sand, crushed cinders/grit (which I actually collect in the spring from leftovers on the sidewalk and street gutter), or sawdust.
Spring, summer, and fall conditions
There are a few issues with having a green driveway I have to mention: It’s not the place to store a car long-term, nor is it a place to leave a poorly-maintained car (but then again, neither would inter-lock or any pavement you want to keep clean).
If one parks for too long on the green driveway, the plants under the car die back without the sun. So long as you use the car several times a week during the day: no problem! Otherwise, just make sure you occasionally use or at least move the car during the day. If you forget for too long: move the car, water the driveway, and wait a few days. The green will come back.
Another time, someone else parked in my driveway with an oil leak. Hydrocarbons (oil, gasoline, solvents) kill plants. They do biodegrade, so if the vegetation isn’t killed at the root, it will grow back about two weeks (given the season). A green driveway conceals an oil stain better than hard surface, but if you can catch it in time, throw down some sand and/or wood shavings (just like with winter ice). That will help absorb the excess, which you can sweep up and throw out.
2025 update: There's a third issue that may affect you if you're in a high-parking-demand area: it goes through fits and spurts, but some people are not aware that your driveway is permanently your right-of-way and they can't park in front of it (without your permission, anyway). Quite a few assume, even with the curb cut, that since it's a grassy area, it's fair game. You can call the city on them and get them ticketed or even towed; usually I gave them a verbal or written warning and called the ticket police when they were really inconveniencing me. However, the summer of 2023 was hell on wheels for all the people thinking they could block my driveway. It's like driver's education and common courtesy went right out of their brains. I finally put up a "no parking" sign in front of my garage door, and trimmed the wheel paths really well so that they could see it was inarguably still a parking spot. That took care of 95% of the problem.
Green driveways do others good
Last summer when I came home from a run, I had the satisfaction of yet more proof that this driveway idea was a great thing to do. On my way into the house, I startled a small flock of chipping sparrows who were foraging near the garage door. Success! They wouldn’t have been there if the driveway was asphalt or pavers. They felt at home.
Since 2012, when I really started paying attention to the birds here in Little Burgundy, the Chipping Sparrow seems to be increasing in numbers. Populations fluctuate, but increases are good. At first I was confused about whether the birds were Chipping or American Tree Sparrows. I haven’t heard the distinct call of the Tree Sparrow, but I often hear the distinct call of the Chipping Sparrow in spring. This persuaded me which one it was. (You can easily see different photos and hear calls the birds make at the All About Birds links here, above and in the photo caption below).
Chipping sparrow
So it’s not just that the driveway provides me with the physical and psychological benefits of having more leisure space and a cooler property and retaining rainwater for my garden. The green space adds to green space, literally.
Cities need more green space, less urban-heat-island hardscape, and they also need help preventing flood surges on big rain days. Homeowners can provide all of these, with native habitat for the birds and animals. There’s already ecological census data indicating that cities are beginning to be beneficial environments for many species, and not just skunks and raccoons!
If you have a driveway that could stand converting over from hot and ugly old asphalt to something a little more cool and welcoming, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m here to help!
This is a long-running “lifestyle” blog about the pleasures of living like a farm kid in an urban context. There’s a big focus on ecology and wildlife because this has brought me joy – and this is also the greatest potential we have of restoring some balance to nature where we live.
I write practical content for people to do little projects that basically make things beautiful, but also support climate readiness (energy efficiency, heat reduction, drought tolerance, flood prevention, and more). I’m a relentlless promoter of having a live-and-let-live attitude towards biodiversity.
Comments and questions are welcome! And if you’re anywhere near the Montreal region, you can also use my “Rewilding” service to landscape your property using native plants, convert to a green driveway, and prevent your windows from killing birds.
