Rampant Creepers

Hi everyone!
I am a novice gardener with very little time on my hands on account of a 1yr old and 3yr old!
Hence the creepers over my garage have gone completely rampant, so I need your help please:
1. I don't even know what they are
2. I desperately need to hard prune/shear them back as far as possible but don't know where to prune or when or how far back.
Any assistance would be gratefully received, as would pictures or links to guides to show me what I need to do.
Thanks again everyone
Jon the poor overworked dad

 

I think it is Fallopia baldschuanica, aka Russian vine, aka mile-a-minute. I've just dealt with some, I wanted completely rid of it so dug the main clump out with the roots (long big roots). It's withering pretty quickly just after a few days.

I reckon you could shear it back a fair bit, just think on why it's known as 'mile-a-minute'!

 

Looks like one of the parthenocissus (Virginia creeper) family to me - I have one just the same. I prune hard in spring, and chop loads off during the summer when the strands get in the way. It is pretty, though and goes red (briefly) in autumn. Cut as much off as you like, especially if it's in your way. Don't scalp it totally until late autumn, though, if you want the decorative benefit.

 

http://www.dorsetlife.co.uk/2011/01/kingston/

See what it can do?

 

Looks like Virginia Creeper to me. One of our neighbours has got one which climbs over our garage if left to its own devices. They chop it back ruthlessly in summer so don't get to enjoy the foliage but it stops it getting under the tiles of our garage so I'm not complaining. Despite that treatment it comes back every year.

I agree with Madahlia, if you want to enjoy the autumn colour leave it a couple of months but if you're worried about your garage roof chop it back as much as you like. Difficult to prune it to a nice shape once it has got to the stage yours is in now but after the leaves have dropped you can see what you're doing more easily.

 

Thinking about your garage, you could cut plenty off the 'fringe' of tendrils that will be hanging all around, especially if they are blocking the doors, then wait till the leaves fall and you can see what you are doing before giving it a good pruning either in the autumn or spring. You may well need to climb on the garage roof in the process. Find out where the main trunk is and try to find long trailers coming from that which can be removed at source, thereby thinning the plant considerably. Remove maybe half of these which are draping across the top of the roof. Otherwise you will just be tinkering with the edges while the main bulk just gets more and more massive. Don't worry about killing it, you could probably saw it off flat with the ground and it would still be as big a year later.

 

Thanks all. There appear to be a few different plants in there, but the Virginia Creeper looks right. There is another climber and some hops too!
I shall do as you say, particularly the trailers-from-main-trunk idea. I have ladders etc so will get up there (when this thunderstorm passes!) and get rid of what I can.