How do you get rid of decorative ivy in your garden?

I moved into my condo two years ago. I love to garden. Unfortunately, the previous owners took the easy way and planted an ivy ground cover. I spent all of last summer digging it up. In just a few days, it would poke its ugly head up through the soil again, even in places that I was sure I had gotten it all. I have many lovely flowers and I am afraid that I will kill them if I try to spray weed killer. Does weed killer even work on ivy? Are there any other hints for ridding my garden of this "creeping" pest?

How do you get rid of decorative ivy in your garden?
Every time it pokes it's little head up paint it with RoundUp. Don't spray the RoundUp or you will take a chance on killing other plants. Just take a little paint brush and really paint the sprouts. You will kill the ivy and nothing else in your garden. I have to do this in my flowerbed for weeds that sprout..
Reply:put a layer of weed barrier down, cut out ares where your flowers are, the add a thick layer of mulch over it. it should smother out the ivy without killing the flowers. This has worked for us.
Reply:Ivy is very hard to get rid of but it can be done you will lose all that you planted but till the ground and rake ALL the debris out and then amend the soil by add your favorite compost mine is cow manure and then next year let it set and the ivy should not come back, well it didnt when we did it
Reply:Burn them....moo hoo ha ha ha ha. just kidding, I would say go to your local florist or green house and see what they recommend.
Reply:you need Weed and Brush killer...and then wait 6-8 weeks to plant anything else...I would being in new soil for that...
Reply:I had the same problem when I bought my home 5 yrs. ago.I am sorry to say it still comes back.I dug it up several times to remove as many roots as I could and finally gave up.I put up a wire cage like a trellis and it now covers it like a little gazebo.The rest I let grow long enough to get a good hold on it and rip it out.I found cutting it off ground level only caused it to get thicker.eg 2+2=4 4+4=8 and so on.There is a product out there that when you spray just on the plant it will kill the roots.But ivy is pretty tough.Good luck! If you can't get rid of it you have to love it
Reply:You have to pull it up, by hand, by the roots.