Not sure what you mean by "garden ivy" though in general, vines are rampant and invasive. So off the top of my head I would recommend caution.

I use Baltic Ivy (Hedera Helix baltica) near my hostas as a ground cover but I do not allow it to grow into where there are any hostas. But keep in mind that I'm in Zone 4 and even Virginia Creeper is easily kept in check by judicious pruning given the short growing season and the winter cold.

Doug

Thank you for responding. I'm not sure what type of ivy it is, and it has taken a couple of years, but it has taken off. I will be sure to trim it back away from the hostas.

The trouble with ivy (and many ground covers) is that, if you leave just a bit of root after pulling, it will survive.

My neighbor has had ivy growing on his chimney for years that started out as ground cover. Since it climbed up into the flue, he's been trying to kill it off by hitting it with some really nasty chemicals. Going on year three and it still isn't dead.

A mix of southern vines around here make clearing out a bed difficult. We have the wild honeysuckle, the Virginia creeper, poison ivy, wisteria, and trumpet vines, smilax, and a wild sort of clematis. I've avoided adding ivy.

I am a fan of nice vines or climbing plants. I have some jasmine planted along a 7 foot tall 100 foot chain link fence row, and it is in process of covering the fence to make a fragrant privacy screen. We saw this particular jasmine used in Tuscany and Umbria to cover fences, pergolas, and make flowering hedges when growing on short wire fencing.

I locate hosta in containers near the jasmine, because it provides shade--it is evergreen in our zone--and I can keep it out of the containers. It does not root along the nodes like ivy does, nor send out root runners, nor create masses of seedlings. It is in bloom right now. BUT, it is not being used for a ground cover. It would bury the hosta in short time.

We have ivy (English??) In a raised planter box underneath a weeping elm. It has been there for many years, and is easy to keep in check by simply chopping it off at the edge of the box. But it is a bully - a few spring bulbs manage to soldier on, blooming before the tree leafs out, but most anything else gets smothered. I would really hesitate to let this stuff loose anywhere else in my garden. It is really invasive in some areas of this city, and once planted is probably next to impossible to eradicate.

I planted some sweet woodruff as ground cover among some hostas last summer - it spreads readily, but I think it will be more manageable. Lamium is another favourite of mine.

I think I had better trim back the ivy, expecially around the hostas. I was hoping it would climb the chain link fence, but it is only climbing a tree. Thanks for all the help.

When we purchased our home 18 yrs. ago there was a 20ft. x 20 ft. Stone boredered area with nothing but vinca vine (we always called it myrtle.)That was all that was growing there and it drove me nuts. It is still there and thinking I was being creative and wanting more hostas I started digging out areas like you are describing. I was warned against it even by Jean and Pete Ruh, but do you think I listened to the experts. Nooooooo. Once you start adding all that lovely compost to the hostas the ivy will go crazy. I will be digging out 20 hostas and if my garden budget will allow me buying the plant bags. It's a job I am not looking forward to, but the hosta planted there look smaller this year. Strangulation Mr. Watson, yep he's in there. WW