Run-Away Vine

Might be bindweed. Compared to a quarter, how big are the flowers?

Thanks for the prompt reply. The flowers are morning glory size, possibly two inches across.

Can't see the borealis from here. Too far south, darn it. We got some fairly spectacular shows in Michigan at times.

This Google search produced plenty of results:

I found that 2-3 attacks with weeding tools per season kept it under control around flowers, vegetables and shrubs. In the lawn, the situation was hopeless. BUT....during the time when lawns normally turn brown, the bindweed remained green & thick, and was very comfortable to walk on. So, I stopped fretting about it.

More:

Do the leaves seem to match the pictures?

Sounds like the same problem as getting rid of cactus. Believe it or not, this part of wv is covered with prickly pear cactus. Beautiful flowers but tough to walk on. And it only gets a few inch tall around here. Only a someone with a special license can use chemicals on it.

maybe I can cover it with trash bags. It (the bindweed??) has taken over the rock garden around my waterfall. I'll try it and see what happens. Thanks again.

Sure do. It's field bindweed for sure. Thanks a quadrillion (if there is such a word).

I'll do what I can to get rid of it.

Oops!! The last e-mail got away from me. I'll try using Roundup and put it on with a paint brush so it can't hurt anything else. I hope.

I had that obnoxious stuff growing up from under some hemlock trees at my last home. Really tough to get rid of. I would yank it out of the ground as best I could on a weekly basis. Also yank it out out of the trees. I never could seem to pull any roots out, even when the soil was moist & loose.

I had reasonable success with roundup on freshly emerged vines that were not coming up in the middle of my perrenial beds. When it did come up in the middle of planted beds or lawn, hand pulling kept it in tow pretty well, as long as I did it very regularly.

I have to say the bindweed is the one & only plant I don't miss, now that I have moved & started anew with gardens at my new property. Good luck to you in your battle.

Bindweed and morningglories are related, but in NE US morningglories are an annual, spread by seed, whereas, field bindweed Convolvulus arvenis) spreads by seeds and rhizomes. The rhizomes can be as deep as 6 meters, so impossible to get all the roots out. It is actually mostly spread by cultivation (pieces of rhizomes). Round-up is probably the only practical remedy. Even then, you'll have to be persistent. (Source: "Weeds of the Northeast") _________________ John Henry Wheeler Washington, DC USDA Zone 7

I'm going to start painting the leaves tomorrow. Can't spray. Too many plants and shrubs around.

Thanks a bunch for your comments, both of you and "Spare Bedroom".

Are you going to paint it on full strength? I've got a can of the stuff and am hesitant to use it full strength, but I think that would be most effective on stubborn, woody nuisances with vast underground root systems.

One spill or slip, and I'll really mess up the soil. I was going to pour just what I thought I needed in something smaller over the toilet (ducking).

I will probably start with the diluted stuff and see how it works. I don't think Roundup is supposed to affect the soil but may be wrong on that.

I will pour it into a tin can and dip the paint brush in that.

You're exactly the type of organism the chemical companies pray for: Dumb as a box of rocks.

If you're starting with a Roundup concentrate, you certainly should dilute it to the recommended strength. If you're using the off-the-shelf Round-up, then that's the proper strength. _________________ John Henry Wheeler Washington, DC USDA Zone 7

Are you referring to me, Joe? Mensa considers me to be quite intelligent.

If you give no thought to where the water from your toilet ends up (along with the chemicals you spill in it), then Mensa is wrong. Municipal treatment systems do not remove toxic chemicals, and nobody knows what these chemicals do to people when they return to the drinking water supply.