Russian vine (Mile a minute)

Hi All

Love it or loath it

Yes I have kept quite I have one

But as you can see kept under check I think looks fab and screening off the nosey parkers.

Spruce

 

I have one too but I have it in a container well away from the main beds. However, I have noticed that one of the two plants I have in the pot is a honeysuckle

Sally

 

I have honeysuckle , wisteria , grapevine on the right hand side

Spruce

 

We used to have some for the screening reasons, but trouble was no matter how much I trimmed it, the more vigorously it grew. The "stems" became branches, the branches became tree trunks, so it had to go.

 

I have some to cover the shed. Admittedly its vigourous, but its easy to trim and keep in check.
Thats the advantage -it quickly covers things.
I like it when it flowers - it looks kind of fluffy.
Thing is, if you cut it back it does not flower as much, i suppose?! .. there are very few flowers atm but i think it fully flowers end of july only..

picture from 1 month or more ago:

last years flowers:

 

Loveweeds
Looks great its amazing how much 1 plant can cover , youre right I dont think I will have many flowers off it , downside the flowers bluebottles like them .



Spruce

 

So ... an invasive plant which attracts bluebottles, then.

 

what's bluebottles? googled it and it says they are black flies?
nice fat ones?? (i love fat flies, if there are not to many of them, though:-)

 

not on mine though

I was waiting for the skeletons to come out of the closet , now I realise why I waited so long to own up to having one :WINK1:

Spruce

 

I must admit the bluebottle thing isn't exactly selling it to me.

I came across a forum for Russian Vine sufferers the other day. One of the entries was as follows:-

They can be a swine to kill, I chopped mine at the base, and poured 3 litres of creosote on the roots, nothing else grew there except you guessed it the flamin russian vine. Try and dig it out, and look for every scrap of root or it will come back and get you!!!!

The same forum mentions in passing that the flowers smell of cat wee.

 

have to say I think I have it in my garden. I say "think" because I never allow it to get big enough to actually be recognisable. I just know it's that by the speed it grows.

It's titled the monster plant because I swear it knows I'm coming. I was determined to dig it out... dug down 2 foot and found a huge root, pulled it and it broke off, do you think I could find the rest of it, not even the broken end. I'm sure I heard it scream as it recoiled from my spade.

I have now got it down to about 3 shoots that get to about 3 foot before I spot them at the back of the border... they get pulled out and the root must be deeeeep because it what comes out the ground must be 12" long!!!

I know it has it's uses but I would really love to be free of it!!

 

Love it Spruce....how long did it take to grow that big?

 

Hmmm. Looking at the second photo closely it already seems to have filled out quite a bit since last year. Bet you won't be able to see that shed in five years time!

 

Two years , and thats a drop from the decking of two feet as well its a big area for it to cover and so easy to maintain 5 mins a week thats all , Loli it doest look too bad for Russian vine and all the bad press it gets. Its when people just leave it then gets out of hand , the second photo with the Wisteria on the left hand side of the fence I was thinking of eventualy traing in its place but I realy like the way it has turned out plus all the sparrows love it to hide in. We will wait and see .

Thanks


Spruce

 

wouldn't mind

would be more worried if I had giant hogweed or japanese knotweed

the only fellow in my garden where I am not sure about being worried yet is Houttuyinia cordata, but lets see.... but at least this one wo'nt grow through the walls into my house