KILLING IVY

Would mulch or some kind of covering eradicate ivy? We have a well established section that covers the whole bed & the roots are impossible to remove!

Use a glyphosate spray or gel-like Roundup-but you might have to repeat the treatment a couple of times-don't expect an instant result-it takes 2/3 weeks to work

Mulch or covering will just make the matter worse

I know how you feel, i'm digging mine up buy hand. It's a bit tedious but it's a good for anger management. 

Dahlia, covering definitely won't work, mine just creeps under and pops out the other side - even under paths! As you've no doubt discovered, it also charges along the ground and roots itself. Pull up what you can so you don't waste your glyphosate on sections that can be easily removed.

When we moved here all the fences and a lot of the garden surface was covered with over 20 years' growth of ivy.  We've dug out all the large and small roots along the boundaries and replaced the fences.  Any little bits that continue to appear are either dug out or bruised and sprayed with glyphosate, depending on where they are.  As for the 2m x 12m area of garden  where there are roots under the ground, interwoven with tree stumps, we are digging out what we can and spraying the rest - I think it will probably take us 2 or 3 years before we dare plant this area up with shrubs.  As for the area along the rear boundary, as there is ivy on the neighbours' side of the fencing, and they do not appear to be gardeners, we will continue to defend our boundary with a combination of iron wills and glyphosate.  When we are too old and infirm to continue it will seize it's chance and take over the garden again, which is what happened 20 years ago!

Good luck 

Drill a small (1/4 or 3/8) downward-pointing hole in the stem and fill with a few drops of neat roundup. Works a treat.

I have not had occasion to have to tackle ivy (yet), but have successfully managed to kill off established trees in the past willow, leilandii, and, ash, all close to foundations and drains,

1 cut off and remove top growth leaving a stump.

2 drill a 1/2"-12mm hole vertically into the stump.

3 fill the hole with neat SBK and cover the stump with kitchen foil lid tied on, to keep out the rain.

4 check periodically as the stump absorbes the SBK, top up and replace the lid.

As I see the bark on the stump start to break away I stop topping up, and have not seen any regrowth at all. Plants growing close by don't seem to get affected.

Affect on adjacent tree roots etc, maybe advise from the manufacture of SBK on using this method would be wise, as it is pretty strong stuff.