Invasive vine-like plant
johnterry
Posts: 28
Hi all,
Does anyone know what this plant is? It's a bit like bindweed - having heart-shaped leaves - but not with a red stem, and has an opposite leaf arrangement (rather than alternate). The roots are shallow, and it can be easily removed. We haven't seen any flowers, although we've only been in our new house since March.
It's absolutely smothered one of the shrubs in our front garden!
Thanks in advance for any advice.
JT
0
Posts
looks a bit like periwinkle, Vinca. Have you got photos of it growing?
Vinca is not easily removed but it's easy to pull some up with a bit of root and think it's removed
In the sticks near Peterborough
Looks like periwinkle to me too
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thanks both! Bigleaf Periwinkle looks a likely candidate for we have, although we've been here since March, and there's no signs of any purple flowers.
Below is a pic of it growing in-place in the front garden (smothering a shrub and a few plants).
We're renting the house, and don't want to rip out anything valued as a feature. Do you think it was purposefully planted, or would it be considered a weed?
it will have been planted but taken over if not controlled. You won't kill it by pulling it off, it will just come back. So you can get it off the shrubs so you can see them
In the sticks near Peterborough
Thanks again nutcultet.
Below is pic of where I've pulled it out. Is this an example of where I 'think' it's been removed? (but it will regrow)
Also, do you think it will have been planted to provide ground cover? Seems a bit silly in a front garden that's mostly covered in gravel, aside from some shrubs in the borders!
Fiinally, what's the best way of controlling it, whilst keeping it as a feature?
Not even mowing will kill this it's a robust grower. My experience is to cut it back regularly and to keep pulling up the runners etc. Cut back very hard everything to about 6" and it will regrow within about 6 weeks to a nice room neat mound. And then spread again from there. Depending on where you live, I let mine in the south Midlands of the uk grow some longer straggly stems until Christmas when I can use them in the decorations then cut back hard. So your trimming timing may be depending on if you want to use the foliage for something.
As has been said, cutting hard back once a year keeps it under control and won't kill it.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
<late response> Thanks for your help everyone. All now cut back to 6"
I've just come back to this and I don't think that last photo is Vinca. But I still think that's what the green plant is
In the sticks near Peterborough