Ivy: I was fortunate with this one. We had a pretty extensive population of it, but it was in an area we re-landscaped. The first order of business was to level a spot for the patio, and the ivy was scraped off with a bulldozer. I still have bits and pieces of it that pop up and I just hand pull and toss those on the burn pile. I do know that the parks in my area are seriously overrun with English ivy and there are regular volunteer work parties to try to eradicate it.
Vinca: I planted this years ago in my front flower bed and use it as a groundcover under a lilac. I love its bloom in early spring. It has not become a problem for me (Pacific Northwest), and coexists with my other plantings fairly well. I limit it to the area directly beneath the lilac and just pull those that are trying to share space with my first-row shorter perennials. It seems to do fine with the taller perennials. I've also introduced it to a shrub border along my driveway and would like to see it colonize there to hopefully choke out the grasses. So far, it has done well under a couple shrubs, climbing up into the bushes a bit, and making a nice blanket during the winter (most of my shrubs are deciduous). It is not easy to get water to this particular area, so the vinca gets planted and replanted on a 'good luck to ya' basis.
