Best way to kill Ivy?

louisvillebride21

We are renting my In-Laws house and they've given us free reign to do as we wish with the house/yard. I don't have any pictures, but I will try to describe.

Facing the house is a curved walkway, steps up to the front door. There's a 3ft drop to the ground from the top of the porch. On one side, we just put in some Azeleas and Hostas. On the other side...well, it's a jungle. It's filled with what my husband thinks is Spanish Ivy. There is some kind of large shrub and a holly bush that is horribly scraggly. I think I could get the holly and the other random bush back into order if I could figure out what to do about the Ivy. I'd like to rip it all up/kill it, whatever and plant either grass or have some kind of garden.

 Any ideas how to kill it? What should I expect to find under it? Soil, rocks, hard earth?  

Alisha_A

Rip it up, and keep after it. Even if you get all the ivy you can see, some will pop up later.

louisvillebride21

After I rip it up, dig it up, whatever, can I go ahead and plant new grass or some kind of garden?

Alisha_A

Sure, just keep an eye out for any ivy that pops up!

Is this ivy shared with any neighbors?

I don't have ivy, but my neighbors do, and my side of the fence is sunnier, so I'm always fighting their ivy. Ugh!!

carlab44

I just want to add that when you tear it out, try and get every little piece picked up. Not sure if Spanish Ivy is similar to English Ivy (which is what we have out here) but English Ivy can resprout from fairly small cuttings.

LisiLynn

Pour roundup in a low flat dish of somesort and lay the ends in it so it soaks up the poisen and dies with out killing everything around it. Or if there is nothing to kill around it, you can pour boiling water from a teakettle on the roots to kill them off.