Question
We have a bed of ivy on our lawn (it was there when we bought the house in '83) that all of a sudden in the last year and half it has increasingly been taken over by weeds. Actually it looks old, the leaves are dark and some are brown. It's as if something is killing it. What can we put on it to kill the weeds but not the ivy?
someone suggested Scotts Plus 2. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
In general, there are chemicals which will kill grasses and leave broad leaf plants alone; eg 'fluazifop'. Then there are chemicals which will kill broad leaf plants and have no effect on grasses; eg 'atrazine' on St. Augustine grass. There are exceptions in every case. All weedkillers are plant killers; the dose makes all the difference. So now, it is up to the user to read and understand the label. The label is the law and violations can cause damage to the environment and can incur penalties. When I say 'read the label', I am not sidestepping the question. It is necessary to identify the weed and identify the desirable plant (an ivy, in your case). You will then have to look on the product label to find out if the contents will kill the weed AND still be safe for use on the desirable plant. And if I sound over-cautious it is because I have seen death (of people and wildlife) caused by misuse of chemicals.