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What’s this shrub before I kill it?

FlyDragonFlyDragon Posts: 834
This is totally unruly and in a terrible position but just want to find out what it actually is in case I want to try for a cutting!  
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  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,581
    Viburnum tinus...normally bomb proof and hard to kill.
    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
  • FlyDragonFlyDragon Posts: 834
    Gagh, it is certainly thriving where it is, right where I don’t want it to be!  Is it likely to be a self seed?
  • Ladybird4Ladybird4 Posts: 36,836
    It could be a gift from a bird FlyDragon.
    Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
  • FlyDragonFlyDragon Posts: 834
    Right, it must go, it’s crowding the rowan next to it!
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,637
    Try just pruning it back to a smaller size and better shape.  It's a valuable shrub for pollinators because of its early blossom and it's also good shelter for invertebrates and birds.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • FlyDragonFlyDragon Posts: 834
    It’s not native though is it?
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,637
    Unless you go back before the Ice Age very few plants are native.  they've all arrived since whether by wind, birds, on animals or brought by humans.   RHS and other studies have sown that plants don't have to be "native" to benefit wildlife, especially pollinators seeking nectar and pollen and other creatures seeking shelter.

    Some insects are plant specific for their larval stage but don't care where the adults get their nectar as long as it's sweet and nutritious.  Viburnum tinus is a valuable resource.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • FlyDragonFlyDragon Posts: 834
    edited March 2020
    Obelixx said:
    Unless you go back before the Ice Age very few plants are native.  they've all arrived since whether by wind, birds, on animals or brought by humans.   RHS and other studies have sown that plants don't have to be "native" to benefit wildlife, especially pollinators seeking nectar and pollen and other creatures seeking shelter.

    Some insects are plant specific for their larval stage but don't care where the adults get their nectar as long as it's sweet and nutritious.  Viburnum tinus is a valuable resource.
    Unfortunately it’s growing right at the base of a lovely Rowan tree and crowding it.  Maybe I’ll try to grow a tame one in a pot if I can get a cutting.  I need a few shrubs in pots to create a border on hard standing anyway.  Any tips?
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 53,942
    They won't do well long term in pots - it would have to be a massive one, and it would need a fair bit of attention to keep it thriving.
    Some shrubs will be fine, others not, so it's important to pick carefully. For example - things like Spireas are quite happy, sun or shade, but Rhodos/Azaleas - not so. They're much more difficult to sustain.

    Any shrub long term in a container needs to have a soil based medium, not compost. They also need good drainage, whether they are plants which like moist soil or not - up on feet of some kind too, if it's hard surface they're on rather than gravel. Be careful in long dry spells, including wind. Potted plants dry out easily, and it's difficult to rehydrate them once that happens, so prevention is always better than cure  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • FlyDragonFlyDragon Posts: 834
    Thanks for that, maybe best to just let it go then.
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