Plant taking over the world!

The problem was the base of the plant was next door and the original neighbour had moved away.

I was just getting around to asking the new neighbour to cut it back on her side when my DH died and I had to move.

A friend told me that you definitely have to keep an eye on them as a Clematis she had killed her apple tree before they realised what was happening.

Winter geranium? or jasmin you mean?

Clematis Montana is indeed a wonderful rogue- but so easy to deal with as you just cut it to the bottom if it goes mad- wait for the rest to dry up and is then easily dealt with... and it will re-grow from the base, as you found out J52. You definitely sound like 'my kind of gardner' ;)

We have clematis Montana, it has been in the garden for 20 years. It climbs through seven silver birches along our border.
They look like the hanging gardens of Babylon when in flower.
When we had the trees pruned the tree surgeons cut it down. I was about to plant another when new shoots appeared, it's now half way up the trees again. x

In my old garden my neighbour planted a Clematis. We were good friends and she encouraged the plant to grow over the fence so that I could have the benefit of it.

It was a total nightmare. It climbed into the branches of a bay tree and killed it, threatened a damson tree and was a total thug. Although it looked pretty during the flowering season it looked ghastly during the winter months - like an old mattress.

I think it was called Clematis Monstrosa or something similar and it was a monster. It was the only plant I was glad to say goodbye to when I moved and it could be someone else's problem.

Are we starting 'Granny Guerrilla' gardening? I have noticed, in some places that people have planted along urban pavements and in little patches of open space.

Nasturtium would be good, they are quite hardy, look after themselves and wander about! x

In my old house, I planted some mint and it spread into the lawn. Oh the wonderful smell when I mowed the lawn - it was gorgeous. The mint spread so much that I had to control it and I was worried because I'd heard it was difficult to uproot - it wasn't and I discovered it had a very long but easily dislodged root system.

Granjura - I like the idea of planting the ivy. I live in some flats with no garden and I've been tempted to plant a winter geranium among the shrubs and bushes in the car park

Only just got to this thread ... calendula! Husband blames me for chucking down a packet of seed a few years ago and boy, has it spread. Every crevice has a friendly bright yellow flower come summer, and there are literally dozens and dozens of seedlings every year now. They've even leapt fences to neighbouring gardens.

I quite like them, but Himself does not.

We can hardly see it, but behind 'our' little Church in front of us, there is a small building for the WCs and heating- with a plain concrete wall. So you've given me an idea- I shall find an ivy plant and 'discreetly' plant it on the corner, and hope for the best (watch it grow;) )

Well, ivy grows in my garden and find it very attractive.

granjura Thank you for the name, I will google it. I do use it in cooking and if it wasn't so rampant I would be happy to grow it in my herb garden. But it gets everywhere. including into the lawn, worst of all, because constantly digging it up damages the grass

My record, when it first invaded was digging up around 200 little clumps from the rose bed, about 15 metres by 2 metres. Delicious it is but it is also very invasive.

I love it when a plant seeds itself somewhere else, usually in the gravel! But I don't mind. I like a haphazard garden! x

The very best plants are those that adopt you (same for pets- we've never chosen one, they've always chosen us) or are given by good friends.

loopy, I don't grow my hellebores, they adopt me.

Tricia I think the very invasive species of Rhodedendron is R Ponticum.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhododendron_ponticum

FlicketyB- they've just showed your plant on Countryfile and called it 'crow garlic' but said it was like chives. They seemed to really rate it as an edible plant. How about making some soup with potatoes?

Has anyone got a winter beauty clamatis? I want one but wondered if they are a good investment.

You're lucky anno, I fail miserably to grow the Christmas rose-like hellebores.

Pale green stinking hellebores grow wild all over the mountains here, as they love limestone scree. They don't really stink- but they look very pretty in early spring. Along the house, it have a few dark purple and white ones I'd brought over from UK. They flower much later here of course, as we are in the mountains at 950m.

J52. In my last garden, I planted a pale green hellebore which was 'murdered' when my neighbour had men in to reconstruct the fence. I mean to get another one because it's such a good contrast with the pink and white ones, though I think more delicate. It astonishes me when I see how much they cost at the garden centres when they spread freely in my garden.

Another invasive species is rhododendron. I wouldn't have believed it until I saw how it has spread in a forest in Berkshire - can't remember the name, we had a walk there when I last stayed with DD1.
And FlicketyB - I've checked the wild onion near our gate, and it has spread, with several new small plants.

Annodomini; i to love hellebores. They produce such interesting seedlings, you never know what colour combinations will appear. I have been nurturing seedings to give away to family and friends.
The only problem is that they do take a while to mature into flowering. x

Buddleia is a plant from the Himalayas and likes poor soil, that's why it takes root everywhere. I think for some people born after WW2 it is reminiscent of bomb sites.

Ah Nellie- how can a pretty little violet be such an unwelcome guest???

It's lucky that I like hellebores because every year they spread along the fence on one side of my garden - both white and pink ones. My theory is that the birds sit on the fence and excrete the seeds to the soil below, otherwise why are they only in that part of the garden?

Buddiea has a wonderful perfume just like honey, I love it!
I just yank out any unwanted seedlings. I love seeing it covered with butterflies and it'll sometimes flower on side shoots if you prune dead flowers out carefully.