Plant Identification - First of many

Bindweed is a real nightmare.

According to my weed bible, the roots (rhizomes) can spread up to 20 metres in a single season. Digging them out is a relentless task and only a fork is suitable as a trowel or spade will sever the roots, and the most minuscule fragment left behind will resurface soon (or maybe next year... with a venageance).

@Sheal's eradication method is a great idea and something I will definitelt try.

In the past, I've used pieces of cardboard to separate the bindweed from hedges etc and using a paint brush, applied a serious dose of weedkiller, carefully painted onto the leaves. It's a rather time-consuming process; yet it works a treat.

But @Sheal 's approach is a revalation. Thank you very much mate.

 

I've had a further inspection down there and there's a fair bit of this stuff ... It's a real mess. Even more worryingly both neighbours appear to have this issue. However it appears that with these houses people divide their gardens in two. Top end near the house an garden oasis of beauty, bottom end ... Not really much attention paid to it, which is where the bindweed is!

I will be treating with Gallup 360 (again very sorry organic gardeners) but first of all need to chop some growth down from various other weeds and plants so I can approach the offenders from various angles and actually get to everything!

A further post to come with some more ID's ... So we don't go off-topic!

 

Okay here we go ...

1. A Clematis (yay I actually know one!) Variety ... Not sure. I've done some internet research but as you'll know there's A LOT of varieties many of which are quite similar!



2. Is this some sort of weed? ... It's about 6 foot and there's a lot of it (growing in one of the raised beds)



3. A pear tree?



But a poorly pear tree me thinks! A lot of the branches are blackening. I think if I chopped most of the bad stuff off there wouldn't be a lot of this fella left! :(



And finally (for now!)

4. I was about to put tree, however it seems very 'fleshy' if that makes any sense at all!


Leaf close up!



I have a few more (as you'd probably guess), however I'll leave them for later!

Once again, MY SINCEREST THANKS!!!

 

I'm guessing at all of these zappamusic.

1. Clematis 'Ernest Markham' ?
2. Ground Elder?
3. Conference Pear?
4. Possibly a Grapevine or some other fruiting plant.

 

2 I think is Jerusalem artichoke, which would figure being in a raised bed i.e. a crop. This eventually has little sunflower/daisy type flowers.

By the way, don't be tempted to eat too much of it. Though it makes an excellent soup, it has, er, unfortunate effects...

 

The clematis does look likely! Ground Elder ...? It'll get the same treatment as the bindweed then!!

Hmmmm just looked at 'grapevine' on google images & the leaves do look very similar

Many thanks Sheal.

 

Your welcome Zappa but don't go killing anything off yet, I'd wait and see if anyone confirms or disputes my answers.

 

True Sheal.

I could dig up No. 2 and look at the root? Is Jerusalem Artichoke a root vegetable?

 

No, the heads grow at the top of stems, like a flower.

 

Slight confusion there between Jerusalem artichokes (edible tubers) and globe artichokes (edible young flower buds). Yours are definitely Jerusalem artichokes, zappamusic2010

 

...Jerusalem artichoke is basically a perennial sunflower.

 

@zappamusic2010

Please don't worry about it being ground elder. The leaves are the wrong shape (and usually have 3 leaves per stem but on occasions, more), also it's far too tall - and at this time of year, ground elder often has small heads with white flowers that look somewhat reminiscent of a minature version cow parsley or even hemlock.

I would let it flower to see what colour it brings.

Trust me, I've dealt with enough ground elder to know this isn't the thug that every gardener dreads....ground elder.