ID please!

This is struggling its way up through our privet hedge; I've not planted anything there so it's a mystery. Really barren / dusty, uncared-for soil. Anyone any idea what it may be?



Thanks!

 

It's a tree sapling of some kind, but tricky to give a definite ID from those photos. It may be aspen, hawthorn or poplar?
If you want to get rid, follow it back to the root and cut it close to the ground. Treat the stump with (carefully applied) neat SBK brushwood killer, otherwise it's likely to grow again.

 

I saw a very similar-looking plant clambering up an unmaintained fence I pass daily while walking with my dog, and I often wonder what it is. It's self-sown and been there a couple of years.

It grows quickly, and growth and stems are similar to a clematis, but in summer flowers appeared - small cream coloured flowers on a long pendulous racemes like giant catkins (not unlike a holm oak in flower).

I'll have a look tomorrow when I go out and (if I remember..) grab a leaf to photograph.

 

It looks more like a climbing plant to me, maybe wild clematis/clematis vitalba/ old man's beard.

 

Another vote for Old Man’s Beard ‍

 

I can see the resemblance to Clematis vitalba now - looks like 3 leaflets per leaf.

 

Hi all - thanks very much for your IDs; I'll assume it's Old Man's Beard and do some reading to see if I want to keep it!