How do I get rid of English Ivy??

[Anonymous]

Pull it out and put it in the trash. Go back every few weeks and pull more. Repeat for years. Never let your guard down...

[Anonymous]

I was under the impression that in MoCo, the Rainscapes program was supposed to include rebates for removing ivy & replacing it with native plants (not sod, though). If you live there, you may want to check it out. I think a new application period is just starting up.

Rainscapes:
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/dectmpl.asp?url=/content/dep/water/rainscapes.asp

Native Plant list:
http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/Chesapeake/

FWIW, we removed our English ivy (+ poison ivy) a few years ago by forking up the ground and gently pulling out every last bit of root that we could find. Went over the same area 3 times. 75 lawn bags later, we'd removed 95% of it. Much of that area was converted to butterfly gardens. Did ivy removal in the fall. Covered it with mulch during the winter, and replanted the next spring. Occasionally a small tuft will emerge, but I just pull it.