can i grow clematus over ivy?

Proberly not advisable Lisa, Ivy will take everything out of the soil and the roots are murderous, i would doubt that very much will survive 'with' Ivy especially if well established, your best bet is to remove the ivy all together and replace it with a Clematis, you can get evergreen vareities if you want all year round interest, and you can plant more than one together to get the best of both worlds.

I think its worth a try - just make sure where you plant the clematis is not full up with ivy roots already. Try one of the late flowering Jackmanii varieties (prune group 3) - these tend to get bigger and won't be lost in the ivy, plus need cutting down every year to about six/eight inches from the ground, so the ivy won't smother them and you'll get a chance to trim the ivy before the clematis grows up again.

The first thing that springs to my mind since you say you don't like ivy is why tolerate it in the first place?
Even a 30ft montana clematis will struggle through ivy at the best of times. Trust me - I grow over 120 clematis varieties and began my garden by clearing 800 linear feet of ivy!!

If you do decide to give it a try as Bamboo has said, i would strongly advise that that you add lots of organic matter to the soil - not multi purpose compost - something with a much rougher texture, like part composted bark or if you have it own brew compost, dig a hole that is at least a couple of inches deeper than the plant is in the pot and really loosen up all the soil around it, which could prove difficult if the ivy is very well established. Go for a plant that is already well established, and you will need to keep it really well watered, to give it any chance of survival, i still stand by what i said, not advisable, personally i think you would defo be better off just removing the ivy, especially as you have said you don't like it anyway, good luck either way.

I'd get rid of the ivy too, for preference, but I do know how difficult a job that can be if its out of hand;-)

I have a clematis growing very successfully in front of and intermingling with ivy. It's a strong one, a beautiful blue ( called Lasur....something) I just can't remember the name properly but I'm sure someone will know.

You may well get away with it if you plant the two together - at the same time, or before the Ivy really gets a hold...and variety will also come into it, but i stress 'get away with' as muddywellies has said, why put up with it if you don't like it any way... Ivy is just like bind weed, it is one of natures ways of breaking down other plants, i have seen ivy take out a well established apple tree before now!. if you want to grow Clematis sucessfully you need to remove the Ivy, or you can chance it if you like but you will never get the best out of the Clematis - if it takes at all. and Bamboo if the Ivy is out of hand.... to difficult to dig out, then i would say there is very little chance that a Clematis will survive..if you can't get your folk in to dig it out i doubt that a Clematis roots will be able to get in properly either. sorry to disagree, but i know what a pain ivy can be. and trust me when i say you are far better off getting it out sooner rather than later.