In article , "Sue & Bob Hobden" writes:
| Spend this morning helping a young lady with her garden. Noticed a lilac
| tree covered by an unusual climber which was flowering, and I understand it
| was from a small plant given to her by the Head Gardener at a stately house
| in Devon.
| Climbs like Wisteria, by coiling (clockwise) it's way up through the
| tree/branches. Stems remain quite thin but it looks to be a bit of a thug
| and in need of some control. Leaves only just showing so can't say what they
| are like. Flowers about an inch across and dark red/maroon, and I'm told,
| after the first flush it keeps on flowering a bit all season.

If the leaves are strongly divided and 5-lobed, and the flowers are
like two small bowls and scented (some say of chocolate), then it is
probably Akebia quinata, except that it does NOT normally keep on
flowering all season! It does have a few stray flowers later, at
least sometimes, though.

If so, you can get it under control by cutting out all old shoots
(and even new ones, where needed) after flowering, and it will shoot
from its roots. Vigorously. I can't remember if it will flower the
next year if you do that.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.