This is a picture of something growing which has sprung up in a pot we planted an olive tree in and we didn't plant it.

It grows at a grand rate of knots and what you see has grown in about 2-3 weeks.

Anyone know what it is and what I ought to do with it?

Will it flower? spread like knot-weed? eat someone? What?

Thanks

could be this, is so get rid, it is dangerous :/

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=218

could be this, is so get rid, it is dangerous :/

 

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=218

Not Japanese Knotweed.

If in doubt, pull it out and incinerate. personally, I don't think it is anything particularly invasive, but I would be cautious of sticking it on the compost heap.

Loads of that where I live and it grows at a rapid speed of knots. Don't know what it I but easy to to pull out.

Unless you pull everything out it will continue to spread like wildfire and if it gets to a lawn then you have major problems getting rid of it

Amazing isn't it? Thanks for your replies. I have a little bit of experience with Japanese Knotweed having found a property I was going to buy which I'd lived in some 30 years earlier which came back onto the market. We found it had some growing in the back garden. I didn't buy as a result of doing a lot of research into it.

I'll take the picture up to the garden centre I think because I don't want anything running riot, I have plenty of weed in the grass, but I don't tend to touch it as there's a lot of moss which acts as a home to bumble bees and stag beetles. Lousey grass (not suitable for a cricket pitch or bowls!!), but the wildlife it attracts is worth the sight of the weeds!

Thanks for your help and thoughts anyway.

Do not think it is Russian vine but that grows extremely fast and difficult to get rid off, personally I like it when in flower over a privet hedge.

Thanks for the pointers.

The leaves of the Russian vine look bigger and it is more like the Boxwood Andy pointed me to (thank you) in the Bonsai range, but that has a brown stem whereas mine has a soft and supple red stem. The leaves look similar though.

I've no idea how it got into the pot with the Olive tree, but I'm just concerned it might not be too friendly to keep. My garden is quite simple overall and all I need is something which will run rampant and that 'mile a minute' phase seems to fit the situation just now.

It's thus far contained in the pot, but I can't leave it in the Olive tree pot so it either hits the bin or we plant it somewhere else, probably in a pot if it's going to go mad growing. Be a shame to miss out though if it's something more oriental and pretty later in it's growing pattern.

To coin a phrase 'I'll keep digging'

Thanks folks.

Andrew

I would transfer it to its own pot Andrew then you can maintain and control it...looks quite tropical and worth keeping what ever it is.It will have been mixed in the soil of the Olive Tree initially.

I don't think it's a Russian vine, agree with Andyorch that you can have it in a pot to limit the spread. It looks a bit like a succulent to me or is that because I'm looking at a photo?

I once thought I knew better than a well-known TV gardener and planted a Russian vine to climb up the shed. As you say, it grew at a mile a minute and didn't stop when it had got to the size I wanted. In the end we had to dig it up and plant something with better manners.

HB

not Japanese knotwed or Russian vine and it doesnt look like sweet plum, which has slightly serrated edges to the leaves, esp on immature plants.

I would keep it in a pot and see waht happens, may well be a mediterranean creeping plant of some sort, honeysuckles have red stesm like that but the leaves look different to the varieties I know