English ivy is REALLY SLOW to establish in this zone. Too slow.

Is there anything else?

If not I am willing to use hops (perennial and isn't incredibly early growing), and kiwis, which I haven't had great luck with here.

Thanks- I'd love to hear any other ideas- if there are any!

The US Dept of Agriculture has listed English Ivy as a "quarantined" plant in Oregon and many other states (can't be sold or transplanted anywhere here..it's that much of a thug). Birds are spreading seeds from the berries it produces and we are currently working tirelessly to eradicate it from our forested areas.

Here's just some of what I've learned about ivy in the past 10 years. I hope it will help you make the best decision for your situation.
Most important to your proposed use:
--"structural damage" caused on wood building when it's little vining stems creep into cracks in siding and up under the sophets and fascia along roof lines and as these stems grow in diameter they will actually loosen the boards (I have seen boards pop off a wall). The vines can get as big as a man's arm!
--It provides perfect protective habitat for rats and other small vermine, hiding them from view of the predators that help keep their numbers in check.
--It has no known pests or diseases in the US so it grows unchecked in most areas.
--Ivy does nothing to help stop erosion (not sure if you have that issue or not) it's roots are rope-like...not the kind that hold the soil in place.
--It easily climbs and overtakes large trees weakening them by shading the trees branches and eventually killing the tree. Just the weight of the ivy with rainwater on the leaves can bring down trees from the added burden. (we have forests that are being devastated by ivy here in Portland...you can google "No Ivy League" for some interesting facts on Ivy and reports of whats being done.)

I would instead recommend a line of evergreen trees (if you have room) as a visual screen or something like that instead.

You can Google "USDA Noxious weed list" for your state to find out what it's status is.

Hope this helps some...there are a lot of creative ideas online. If you haven't yet, I'd surf around and post queries to see what others may have done to solve similar situations. I'm just not sure that ivy is the best solution for your situation.