Hi kellilou!
I'm new at this forum. I don't know how English Ivy thrives in your USDA
zone, but here in Tallahassee, FL, it is very invasive.
Just wanted to pass along our own experience with it. When we bought our home in 1991, the previous owner had started just a very few sprigs of it on a backyard slope.
In a couple of years it had covered the slope, and is now so invasive that we had to pay someone to continually pull it out, even in our front yard (wooded & natural, not lawn).
It is almost as bad as kudzu here. It continues to grow all year.
Hopefully this will not be a problem in your area.
I don't mean to sound discouraging, but I thought you might want to check this out in your area.
Good luck with your project! Please let me know how it works out for you.
Judith