Mystery weed
 

Can anyone help to identify this weed please. We have had it in our garden for several years and is is now spreading more into plants and the lawn where it is virtually impossible to remove. It can't be just pulled out - it is deep rooted and woody and spreads underground. We have tried most commercial weed killers, including a systemic one some time ago without success. Any ideas of how we can get rid of it?

It is not wild grape vine but it seems to be similar so you need to get all the roots so what I may suggest is pruning off the stem close to the ground and then brush on some Roundup to the cut end and see if that works. Otherwise you may in the fall have to remove all of your plants and dig out the whole stem which is some instances may go on for hundreds of feet. You'd be surprised how large the underground stems are. I had grape vine that took over a vacant lot so I just bulldozed all of it.

Thanks so much for your reply - will give it a go

It looks a bit like sucker from some sort of Prunus / flowering cherry type tree.

I remember my Grandmother cut down one next to her lawn and spent the next 15 years trying to get rid of the suckers which came up along the root runs of the ex-tree

I would guess some sort of SBK Brushwood killer or Armillatox painted on each individual shoot would eventually work, but possibly someone with more knowledge may be along to help

All the best
Sue