GardenBanter.co.uk - Never underestimate the persistence of a weed

On Apr 23, 2:28*pm, Sacha wrote:
On 2011-04-23 14:06:22 +0100, Chris Hogg said:

On Sat, 23 Apr 2011 11:50:40 +0100, "shazzbat"
wrote:

Some years ago we acquired a houttuynia. We were told it was an aquatic/bog
garden plant and wouldn't do well in our dry sandy soil. Not only is it now
coming up from every gap between the slabs, but this morning I spotted it
coming up in a container 2' tall. I pulled and pulled and pulled and got
this-

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...20stuff/23Apr0....

Be careful where you plant it.

We have something similar. When we moved here ten years ago, we
brought a root of an Akebia quinata, a vine-like plant that has small
pendent brownish-purple flowers with a heavy scent. We planted the
akebia under a tall camellia, thinking it would scramble up through
the camellia and perfume the garden on early-summer evenings. For
several years not a lot happened, but in the last couple it's suddenly
decided to take off, and is/was in danger of smothering the camellia.
I've been out this spring cutting it off a ground level and pulling
the vines out of the canopy. That won't stop it, of course, but it'll
take another few years to get going again. The sad thing was that it
never flowered, and my wife, who was keen that we bring it in the
first place, has lost her sense of smell, so the reasons for growing
it have gone.

This sounds like some kind of mutant! *I'm not joking entirely. *Our A
quinata and A quinata alba behave perfectly, climbing up posts and
along ropes or pergolas and smelling heavenly. They have both just
flowered and the alba which we planted about 3 years ago, started
flowering in its first season. *What a strange but unhappy experience
for you.
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I remember giving a friend a winter flowering Jasmin which he planted
by a wall, it grew agout 12 to 15 inches a year for 3 years then the
wall fell onto it and it was broken off almost at ground level, The
wall was rebuilt and that year the Jasmin grew around 3 ft, the next
year another 4ft.