invasive plant roots.

I feel your pain craftyone, it's damned annoying isn't it? Our neighbours planted a Rhus Typhina (Stagshorn) very close to the boundary fence and it was a nightmare to control. The fence panels were damaged, plants in our garden had to be moved and it eventually crept under the lawn as well. Even when he ripped it out, the roots and suckers continued underground for years after.

There was a Passion flower against a house we had for awhile. It started to grow in the house inside the extension!

Oh crikey! I started digging a trench earlier, hours of work and I have done maybe less than a metre, with 8 more to do, I have to go about 16" deep. Its awful work, does anyone know if the tiny roots that have come out with the soil will die? I carefully took out a 3m length of strong root, growing into the centre of my garden and endless other lengths, they are for the tip

I ordered 9m of root barrier and tomorrow am going to move my precious comfrey plants, luckily only been in a year so will not be too deeply rooted. The passiflora roots are distinctive, white with lots of side roots. I am going to think of something that I can pour along the soil, nearest to and below the old wall, entirely on my side, I can see zillions of tiny roots. She will have masses of roots on her side so the plant will not be affected. I want to make my soil be rejected by her roots

My other neighbour who I can see has a superb allotment garden, she was growing a very prickly bramble on that side on my fence and that was making me twitchy as I have previously had to deal with my own bramble on my allotment, it threw runners up on neighbouring allotments. I dug it out and dealt with runners for 2 more years. I was speaking to a gardening friend about it and my concerns, we were in my garden, two days later the gardening neighbour removed the bramble. Perhaps she heard us I don`t know but I was very complementary about her skills

I would treat the passiflora as I would bindweed - let it grow a little in spring, then paint glyphoste on the leaves. Check weekly and repeat.

yes springychicken I will be very watchful to do that but I am hoping that my measures will be preventative. It kept me wakeful last night, taking the dry soil out was problematic, all 5 trugs are full so I will have to lay some tarp on the patio and on the soil away from the trench as I have to kneel close to the trench. I can make 3 big piles of soil on thick plastic or tarp

I am having visions of how to keep the barrier vertical as the trench side towards my garden has a loose soil/rock side wall, I may have to hammer some temporary canes in to hold the barrier before I backfill. Canes in 2s so the barrier can go between.

Its going to be thin bleach sprayed down the wall- side soil and later I can put more into the backfilled trench. between barrier and wall

This job is utterly horrible, least of all dealing with moving my plants and a problem not of my making

In fact I want to do a very full day today so am getting changed to be out at first light. I don`t want to deal with mud tomorrow

Almost 4 hours and am already tired, everywhere is muddy even light switches. I had to re-do what I did yeaterday, I was no-where near 18" deep. I dragged my comfrey out and have a huge heap of that to deal with too. The roots are all along every bit of wall below soil level and the big roots go about 15" deep and they are fat, half pencil diameter

After todays work I am going to spray bleach but really do have my fingers crossed that the cut roots and strands do not grow like bindweed, which I always found easy to dig out, bindweed grows from any tiny slither. I have a developing blister from using the crowbar so much. I can see the plant all along my fence, the plant itself is massive. I must look about cold, maybe intense cold would kill it

Have you actually spoken to your neighbour about this plant? I am a keen gardener but had no idea it could be so invasive. Is there a handyperson locally who you could play to do some of this intensive work? Our village has a FB page which often gets some good results for a whole host of jobs.

I’m sorry craftyone that sounds just miserable

Good luck, Craftyone. A miserable task for you.

I have finished, made a deep trench, put rootex barrier down 6" from the wall, stuffed cotton wool soaked in copper sulphate into the spaces in the very old wall that has no deep foundation. Back filled, tamped down. Made a versatile path to the right with rubber stepping stones, planted small lavenders between the rootex and steppers and silver grasses and echinacea in a row on the right

It all looks very nice but best of all I have a very clear view of what is happening between the wall and rootex. If passiflora gets through the wall base again, then I am ready with either bleach or glyphosate

This wall is at the end opposite my house and her house is far to the right. She is a widow and seems to just about manage to look after the fencing on her other side. I cannot ask her, she will have no idea but she will be getting invasive passiflora roots all over her garden one day. Its a very massive dense plant

I love my attractive garden wall bare and it has a lovely feather board fence on top of this wall. I want to keep it bare. Thanks for all the hints.

Bravo craftyone fingers crossed that does the job permanently.

I d love a root my Passion flower died have you thrown them all away ?

Thanks Jaxjacky. I hope so too. If any do come up then I will do as suggested and train them up a cane, after a month I will paint them with good strong glyphosate and put a large poly bag around. They will send the death wish right back along the root. Nice to have a belt and braces approach

This sounds awful, craftyone.

So many plants and flowers look attractive in garden centres and catalogues but do the sellers let people know that the roots could be invasive and spring up all over their gardens?

And are the other invasive plants Gransnetters can warn new gardeners about, please?

Stag horn, it creeps for miles then pops up where you don’t want it!

I treat unwanted Japanese anemones with a strong salt solutions.
I spent lockdown digging out Japanese Anemones.
If a tiny bit is left in the ground it will grow. So I keep the salt mixture to hand and a close watch for new growth, I just pour directly on the offender. It works. Just have to be eagled eyed. Before anyone says how lovely Japanese Anemones are, I agree, but after a while it takes over.

LaRia44. There is no such thing as unwanted Japanese anemones.
If you don’t want them I’ll send you my address.?

craftyone What are you expecting copper sulphate will do?

(hoping it is an alternative to glyphosate)??

I agree that Japanese anemones are lovely, but they do become pests, as I have found out, so have to keep on top of the new growth that pops up in each and every crack it can find.
Mine are pink, and I would love some white ones, but they don't seem to like my garden. Perhaps they would also run rampant.

We had a neighbour that grew the Rose of Sharon, and now I have that coming through under the fence.

I'm another fan of Japanese Anemones. They dont last for long in my garden.
I suppliment them with new plants every other year.

I’m have clay soil and the Japanese Anemones seemed to thrive. I have the pink and white ones, which I think I’ve irradiated, but I now wish I’d put some in pots. I will pot up any that might come through next year. They are lovely, and it took years for them to spread. I especially like the white, they grow taller. Next year, I hope to just have white flowers and various silver and green foliage in my north facing garden. That decision was made after I’d got rid of all the white ones.

It must be ideal growing conditions for passionflower because I planted one years ago that did nothing but this year it has completely taken over my garden. I put some tree stump killer on it yesterday and hope that has done the trick. I went away for three weeks and when I got back it was even growing on the washing line. I had no idea it was so invasive. I'm assuming that killing the main plant will kill all of the side shoots?