Here we go again. Another site that needs groundcover. Had it. Removed it. And now what shall we do? Surely, ivy still exists at the neighboring properties and will be forever trying to return. It would have been so much easier just to manage it. Which, by the way, will still need to happen. But instead of managing the ivy that works for you, you'll be managing neighboring ivy that doesn't. What a joy!

Looks like a shady area. Consider what you'd like to do with the space - play area, patio, garden, etc. Shade loving plants and a nice spot to sit and relax might be just the right thing.

A shady spot to sit and relax along a flagstone stepper pathway.

See more of this shade garden here.

No one is saying groundcover is the "only" option. But if one was to fill the space with a category of plants -- trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, or groundcover (a subcategory usually of perennials) -- it is the latter category that makes the most sense for the greatest portion of the space. Even hosta, as shown above, is still another variant of groundcover. Surely shrubs can be involved. But they cannot be everywhere.

Shrubs can perfectly well be everywhere any time somebody doesn't want to bother with the cultural requirements - and other limitations, including a lack of an appearance of bulk and solidity - of herbaceous plants.

Despite the habit of calling low and spreading plants ground covers the term really refers to a usage rather than a kind. To that end a local community college horticulture instructor used to tell classes the most common ground cover here was the Douglas fir.

all I know my standard lemons seedlings handled down the teen

I do take your point, Embothrium, that, conceptually, any plant that one wants to put "shoulder to shoulder" can be a groundcover. My beef with using shrubs in that manner is that they can be and usually are, one royal PITA to care for when they finally get too tall and need to be trimmed. Sure ... use a short shrub. But even the short shrubs -- like cute little boxwood -- eventually starts staring you down, eyeball to eyeball. It is infinitely easier over the long haul to use a plant that limits its own height by growing only so tall. And that is usually some type of perennial. Or a vine that knits along the ground.

I just want to thank everybody for their comments. I appreciate you taking a look and giving your insights. I agree that the Ivy is still going to be an issue because my neighbor behind me and my neighbor to the side both provided the Ivy. And, while I like my neighbors, none of them care anything about their landscape and it’s quite frustrating when it invades into my yard on a regular basis. I have such a huge lot, .25 acre, And my physical and financial efforts have really been focused more in other areas of my garden. I wouldn’t mind so much leaving this area bare Except that I do not want the Ivy to grow back, as it has done in the past when I’ve done a clearing before. I think I will wait until the fall when prices go down at the nurseries and get a few shrubs and some shade loving plants like hostas and hellebores.

Also, I wanted to mention that I live in the Pacific Northwest and my zone is 8A. Here’s one of my hydrangeas. I would like to plant hydrangeas under the cedar trees but I feel it’s not enough sun for them. Perhaps I’m wrong?

One idea I had to prevent the baby from coming back over the fence is to place some sort of weird barrier along the fence line. Do you think that’s even feasible?

"... the BABY"...?

Being surrounded by ivy is a guaranty that it will come back. The only thing that I know you can do to prevent it is to create a strip of mulch of at least 3' width, in which nothing is planted, and monitor the encroachment of ivy, monthly herbicide-spraying any that encroaches. If you do this regularly, it will become easy to do and require a minimal amount of herbicide. If you don't create a strip zone to kill the ivy, it will not stop and you can plan on being out there on your hands and knees grubbing it out on a regular basis. No small plants -- perennials or shrubs -- are going to stop ivy.

LOL!! No big plants will stop it either! It will grow over or up into anything in its path. There are 60' plus Douglas firs around here with ivy growing up them to 30' or more. And because ivy has such a waxy cuticle, most herbicides have minimal impact on it unless they are augmented with a specific type of adjuvant designed to breakdown that cuticle so the herbicide can penetrate. I live surrounded by a greenbelt thoroughly invaded by ivy and the only way I can prevent it from consuming my backyard is to weed whack it back several times a season. And then rake up the trimmings.

The hydrangeas are unlikely to mind the shade at all but they will mind the dense and moisture and nutrient robbing root system the trees/cedars send out for a long distance. Not saying they won't grow in that location.......just that they will be difficult to establish there and will requite ongoing TLC to thrive.

Actually, fresh growth of ivy is not very immune to herbicide, which is why one would treat is on a monthly basis. Letting it go a whole season makes the process more difficult, but not impossible. Even on mature ivy, a full strength combination of glyphosate and 2,4-D is a formidable weapon. I've never found a need for "special adjuvants." If the spray does not want to stick, add a little Dawn. It does not require that strong a mix on tender growth.

The process of removing old ivy from trees is a simple one that take only a few minutes per tree. Sawcut it at the base, all around the tree. Walk away. The leaves will fall off in a couple of weeks. The rest will fall over the course of the summer, in which case one needs just to pick it up off the ground and dispose of it. Cutting returning growth once per year (which is very quick) is all that's needed to keep it from re-climbing the tree.

no glyphosate it causes cancer

use vinegar

"Controlling established English ivy with herbicides is not very successful because of the waxy leaves. There is also a risk to non-target plants from run-off of the waxy leaves. English ivy is considered tolerant of many commonly used herbicides. Some success has been achieved by carefully selecting herbicides and focusing applications on young, actively growing plants. If herbicides are used, make sure that their use is allowed at your site. Certain herbicides can not be used in aquatic areas or their buffers. When using an herbicide follow all label directions. Contact your local noxious weed control program for control guidelines in your area."

"Effective chemical control of English ivy is dependent on a few variables including timing, sensible application, and the proper mixture of chemicals. The timing is important to limit damage to native plants. Herbicide application during dry and sunny periods in late winter can be an effective chemical control on English ivy. The ivy is still alive and may still be growing in the winter while most native plants are dormant and protected. Herbicide has shown to be successful when applied directly to cut stems specifically around a tree trunk.

Foliar application of herbicides is deterred by the waxy coating on the leaves. This is especially true for older/mature leaves and application during the growing season. This leads to runoff of herbicide onto nearby native plants. A fatty acid can be applied before or with the herbicide application to increase absorption into the leaves.

Widespread chemical control of English ivy is not suggested and should only to be considered in areas completely dominated by ivy or on difficult sites were manual control methods may be impractical or dangerous."

Both statements from local sources closely involved with curtailing the spread if not the removal of this most pervasive and serious of invasive species in the PNW. And you can find similar comments all over the web from assorted other sources. It is a well documented phenomenon.

use vinegar to kill ivy

Howard, your statements are inaccurate and misleading. Glyphosate is only suspected of causing cancer and only in those that may use it with great frequency and improperly or in high doses. And vinegar is completely ineffective on ivy for various reasons, primarily because it is not translocated to the roots and so never a 100% kill.

Grilled steaks are suspected of causing cancer, too.

As anyone who reads two books on horticulture/gardening (or reads answers in this forum) knows, there are going to be conflicting opinions. My experience is that many claims are repeated ad infinitum, sometimes for decades. If one must rely on someone else's research, they have to trust in its accuracy, but that's no guaranty that the researcher himself is not relying on questionable, or less than up-to-date information. When one conducts their own experiments in order to demonstrate to themselves what really works and what doesn't, they no longer need to rely on someone else's opinion, and that trumps any book or article, IMO. I've lived with, and managed enough large scale ivy tracts over a long enough period, to know that it can be killed with herbicide, without much difficulty. For others to say it's difficult is no surprise but only means they lack experience.

them use ammonia vinegar is used to kill poison ivy

and I got my knowledge there from and gardening experts secrets book

and perfer to kill it organically

"I've lived with, and managed enough large scale ivy tracts over a long enough period, to know that it can be killed with herbicide, without much difficulty. For others to say it's difficult is no surprise but only means they lack experience."

It is extremely presumptuous to say those that have realized difficulty eradicating English ivy with herbicides 'lack experience'. As a major invasive species in this area and the focus of ongoing targeted removal attempts, the collective experience of those who deal with it on a daily basis is huge and no doubt easily trumps what a single individual has experienced. Also, the fact that English ivy is particularly resistant to herbicide applications is the topic of any number of scientific papers should also carry some weight.

A single person's limited experience should not be the determining factor in how well it may or may not work. One can always try that option and judge for themselves but the info I put forth is just an additional piece of information that the OP and other readers may find helpful beyond just blind dismissal by some who may be just a bit too full of themselves.

I would want to kill English ivy organically

If you want to kill English ivy organically, then grub it out manually, roots and all. Believe it or not, that is the primary recommended method for ivy removal. Been there, done that many many times and it IS effective but also plenty of work.

OKay gardengal, I've heard it all before. Nothing new. A person who hates ivy relies on everyone else's experience. Fine. A single person's experience is NOT the determining factor. It is the CLUE that one should dig in and learn from their own firsthand experience ... since there is absolutely nothing to lose, and everything to gain by doing so. The "blind dismissal" is what you're promoting by saying something CAN'T be done.

what I'm saying I got from gardening secrets book

I never said it can't be done.......only that it is not particularly effective. And that has been very well substantiated from any number of sources, not just me. And I'm not sure why you are so quick to dismiss my experience........I've dealt with this issue probably just as long and to the same degree as you, perhaps even more!

And you have neglected to address what to do with the dead material once/if you manage to kill it. Since only the outermost portions of the plants that creep into the OP's yard will be killed, leaving the dead portions attached to the main body of the plant (and leaving an unsightly mess), cutting or weed whacking the plant back is necessary anyway to get rid of the debris. Why not save a step and eliminate the less than ideal chemical usage and possible contamination of any nearby desirable planting and just cut it back as needed?

I would go all the way you said you wanted to get rid of it not cut it back as need no in betweens

I'm trying to protect the ground water this way

Howard, the OP has already cleared the ivy growing on her property. But since she is surrounded by it in neighboring gardens, ivy being ivy, it will creep into her garden in a very short period of time. She can't 'get rid' of it in neighboring properties....all she can do is treat or remove what appears on her side of the fence, nothing more. So cutting back 'as needed' is really all that she can do.

I'm really not sure why this is so hard to understand.

it not the details you have just given me I did not know

she needs to watch the fence lines

May help to read the entire thread before you comment :-)

If one is stopping ivy at a property line, and they will have plantings of various sorts in front of it (on their side of the property line), those plantings will screen out any dead ivy, which disintegrates quickly since it is fresh. The leaves fall off shortly and the rest is little visible. Spraying a line is a lot quicker than cutting a swath with a weedeater, though the latter would technically be an alternate option. I think it's more troublesome though, as the ivy starts rooting and becomes attached to the ground quickly. Spraying is the fastest, easiest way to defend against invading ivy.

but it not organic

Through the action of weathering and decomposition, it breaks down relatively quickly into harmless substances.

Thank you all for your comments. I think each of you have something valuable to say and I appreciate it. Just to give you a sense of what things look like before hand I’m going to post a few more pictures. I have sprayed once since the English Ivy and Blackberry stalks were removed on July 1. Tomorrow I will go out and investigate again to see if I need to do another application. I also took a pitchfork with me and have been digging up the ground and pulling some roots that did not get eradicated when the weed eating was done initially to remove the Ivy. Also, I went around to each of the big trees and cut the Ivy vines; that was no small feat, let me tell you!

Before and after photos

More “before” photos. I did hire someone this time around to get rid of the Ivy. But what precipitated it was a major branch of one of my Cedars ( covered with Ivy all over it) fell over onto the willow tree. (That’s the third photo). I was greatly concerned that the Ivy would then migrate onto the willow tree. I did hire someone to do some major tree trimming of my Cedars and get rid of the Ivy. As much as possible anyway. Thank you for your interest and your comments. Blessings to you all!

Regarding the hydrangeas tolerance to shade, I visited a buddhist temple while living in Japan and saw the most elegant hillside terrace of hydrangeas planted under the canopy of large cedar trees so I would think that is an option,albeit a defined season for enjoying color.

Any chance there are members of the landscaping forum who live in Austin,Texas and with whom I can talk?

Billy, there are members all over the place. They could be from anywhere. Start a new thread explaining your specific problem. Usually it helps to add pictures and it helps if they include some surroundings for context.

There’s also a Texas Forum. https://www.houzz.com/discussions/texas-gardening

Good luck Anna. When I moved in on our 2.5 acres the goal was to lift the canopy get some air flow through. I did a manageable section at a time. It maybe took me five years to surround my home. Hosta grow and divide easily as you want more to fill in. Same with my hydrangea. Here's where I wish I could say come on over we can fill your little bit up in no time with pieces dug from my garden.

with the out glyphosate

arcy_gw,
thank you for your comments and photos. It looks like you’ve done a lovely job.
It is now almost a year and a half since I removed that Ivy in July 2020. I ended up putting ground cloth down and I have just left it because I’ve moved on to other landscape projects. My neighbor behind me was kind enough to pay for one of his trees to come down that was leaning over onto my yard. It was definitely a hazard and trouble waiting to happen in the next wind storm. I do plan to revisit that part of my yard once I have the courage to look underneath the ground cover cloth. Ha ha

I just posted three photos of what it looks like now. Definitely an improvement. I also believe that really helped to put up that green vinyl fencing.