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Post by debbiem on May 15, 2007 15:14:29 GMT 1
 Does anyone know what this Clematis like twiner/climber is? It's as tough as old boots and weaves it's way around the other plants , has tendrils and last year wound it's way through our wall of ivy up into next door's Horse Chestnut! It must have flowers as it seeds but I haven't seen any, and the older larger leaves are a darker green. It's very vigourous and has many stems growing off the main woody one. Any ideas? Thanks! |
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Post by sweetleaf on May 15, 2007 15:26:26 GMT 1
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Post by plocket on May 15, 2007 15:37:46 GMT 1
Mmmm. It does look like a clematis but they don't have tendrils - most of them entwine using the leaf stems. When do you cut it back?
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Post by maggyd on May 15, 2007 15:41:49 GMT 1
It looks a bit like Thumbergia alata (black eyed susan) but if it is they have bright orange flowers with a black centre which you couldnt miss!!
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Post by spade on May 15, 2007 18:18:34 GMT 1
Thanks everyone - it's definitely not a Russian Vine(we love ours  ) but maybe I got the wrong word with 'tendrils'  , as it entwines itself around other plants the way a Clematis does. It doesn't seem to have any flowers, and if it does they are so insignificant I haven't noticed them. |
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Post by debbiem on May 15, 2007 18:21:28 GMT 1
Sorry everyone it IS me here and not Spade who forgot to log out yet again. |
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Post by plocket on May 15, 2007 18:41:02 GMT 1
Well it looks to me like Praecox. How long have you had it? Perhaps it needs to establish before it flowers properly |
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Post by The witch on May 15, 2007 20:55:04 GMT 1
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Post by plocket on May 16, 2007 8:17:39 GMT 1
I think the leaves are wrong for a Potato Vine - aren't the leaves smoother and darker?
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Post by sweetleaf on May 16, 2007 8:59:38 GMT 1
Its not Solanum, the habit is all wrong, but I agree that can be a thug, I had to dig one out a couple of years ago. I really want to know what it is now though! I suppose we should wait for it to flower.  |
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Post by plocket on May 16, 2007 9:06:39 GMT 1
This is PRAECOX and if you look at the leaves in the first picture I think they are very like yours. And it gets darker as the season progresses. It could also be "Vitalba" which is Old Man's Beard to you and I, but you would remember the seed-heads!  |
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Post by debbiem on May 16, 2007 9:34:21 GMT 1
Thanks everyone. It's not Solanum, we've got one of those but this is a lot more vigourous than even that! I don't think it can be Praecox either Plocket, anything as pretty as that I would remember, and the leaves seem different;  ![]() |
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Post by debbiem on May 16, 2007 9:38:36 GMT 1
It breaks off so easily! I did have two growing and managed to eventually dig one up - it had been there for some time as it was so deep-rooted and the stem was thick and woody. I would have thought a flowering Clematis would have been finished off by all the hacking it would have endured with the spade, but this just shrugged it of and grew as normal, and as madly as ever;  The older leaves are big and dark green. I don't know whether I love it or hate it! And I haven't seen any flowers on it at all. |
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Post by plocket on May 16, 2007 9:46:35 GMT 1
I think you are going to have to leave it and see if it flowers if you really want to know what it is Mrs B!!!
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Post by The witch on May 16, 2007 9:48:36 GMT 1
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Post by The witch on May 16, 2007 9:51:11 GMT 1
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Post by debbiem on May 16, 2007 9:59:52 GMT 1
Wow, The witch, where did you find that? It's by far the closest thing, and description, that I've ever seen to this plant, and would explain the flower problem too.  Doesn't it look lovely in the photo? It makes me feel guilty, as I've only ever treated it with slightly more respect than I would bindweed, as it looked like it was choking the other plants. The big leaves are maybe a slightly different shape to my one, but it's only just got going this year so I've got no real big ones to compare it to......if it isn't this hop it's something very similar so I'll start investigating along the hop path. Thanks The witch! Thanks everyone else too - it's not an easy one where there's only indistinctive foliage to go by. |
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Post by The witch on May 16, 2007 10:10:58 GMT 1
.......... I amaze myself I times I must admit Debbie LOL ;D
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Post by plocket on May 16, 2007 10:31:29 GMT 1
Jeez if its a hop you really do want to get rid of it!!!
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Post by debbiem on May 16, 2007 10:39:49 GMT 1
Why, will it be a pain? It certainly has been a pain but with a bit of training upwards.....oh I don't know! One minute hooray! Next minute booooo! What are the pros Plocket? Or are there only cons!  |
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Post by plocket on May 16, 2007 10:56:22 GMT 1
Well if it's a hop it will be RAMPANT!!! They aren't small plants MrsB! Pros - you could brew your own beer if you let it flower ;D
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Post by debbiem on May 16, 2007 11:04:13 GMT 1
Quite a big pro, that one....... But I don't know how far it had snaked its way up into next door's Horse Chestnut last year, but it disappeared right up into it - the bit of the tree overhanging our garden anyway.Hope it didn't snake back down into their garden! |
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Post by plocket on May 16, 2007 11:11:45 GMT 1
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Post by debbiem on May 16, 2007 11:23:53 GMT 1
Thanks Plocket - this plant, if it is a hop, has no fruit or flowers and definitely no 'cones' of any kind that I could see last year, and nothing attacks it, nothing!
I'll see what it does this year. I've got some garden wire up along the wall for some climbers at about two feet high and then again at four feet, that's all so far, so it's got to go sideways along it. Let's see what it feels about that! As long as it doesn't twist itself around all the other plants in the process. It's a useful plant to quickly cover something but no good if it's at the expense of all the others.
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Post by plocket on May 16, 2007 11:27:33 GMT 1
Mmm. It will be interesting to see how it develops this year. Do keep us posted won't you?
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