Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => General Gardening => Topic started by: arugula on February 03, 2013, 15:37

Title: Plant ID please.
Post by: arugula on February 03, 2013, 15:37
Could anyone identify this plant please?

(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j85/argyll_photos/chat/IMAG0135_zps8d7a09cc.jpg)

It was growing in a woodland situation and the particular clump I photographed here was about 2 metres high and spreading about 4 x 6 metres back and across. It appeared to be suffocating the rhododendron plants in the vicinity.

:)
Title: Re: Plant ID please.
Post by: sunshineband on February 03, 2013, 15:38
Reminds me of Eleagnus.

Did the leaves have a slightly silvery sheen or is this due to the light in the photo?

Eleagnus leaves are a bit silvery
Title: Re: Plant ID please.
Post by: arugula on February 03, 2013, 15:48
No, the silvery aspect will be from sunlight, sunny. The leaves were a medium to dark green colour and reminded me of beech although it obviously wouldn't be green at this time of year.
Title: Re: Plant ID please.
Post by: Kleftiwallah on February 03, 2013, 16:31

ANYTHING that can outgrow rhodedendrons cannot be bad!

Cheers,   Tony.
Title: Re: Plant ID please.
Post by: sunshineband on February 03, 2013, 17:17
Likely to be a viburnum then I think...

V. tinus perhaps
Title: Re: Plant ID please.
Post by: arugula on February 03, 2013, 18:40
Likely to be a viburnum then I think...

V. tinus perhaps

Interesting sunny... :) I'll have a read.

ANYTHING that can outgrow rhodedendrons cannot be bad!

A good point that we considered Tony! :D
Title: Re: Plant ID please.
Post by: saskatoon on February 03, 2013, 19:56
Looks very like a Gaultheria Shallon, which is often used as a woodland fringe plant, a landscape plant around shopping precincts and used in edible landscapes as it has edible berries.
Title: Re: Plant ID please.
Post by: arugula on February 04, 2013, 08:29
Thanks for that. :) Another one to look up.
Title: Re: Plant ID please.
Post by: 8doubles on February 04, 2013, 10:43

ANYTHING that can outgrow rhodedendrons cannot be bad!

Cheers,   Tony.

Knotweed could be very bad ! ;)
Title: Re: Plant ID please.
Post by: Sue33 on February 04, 2013, 11:33

could it be laurel ?
Title: Re: Plant ID please.
Post by: sunshineband on February 04, 2013, 11:36
Looks very like a Gaultheria Shallon, which is often used as a woodland fringe plant, a landscape plant around shopping precincts and used in edible landscapes as it has edible berries.

Sounds like this could be the one!! :D
Title: Re: Plant ID please.
Post by: arugula on February 04, 2013, 12:15
It does doesn't it sunny. :) I'm not familiar with it even though I am not unfamiliar with woodland. I am, however, very unfamiliar with shopping precincts!  :lol:
Title: Re: Plant ID please.
Post by: SkyeEnt on February 09, 2013, 23:58
In my 'garden plants for scotland' book they describe G. shallon as 'a vigorous thug which is out of control in wetter parts of western scotland and should not be planted there'.  Apparently they are thinking of banning it because its so invasive here (although does apparently have delicious fruits).  You may want to consider trying to get rid of it (responsibly) before it takes over completely.  :unsure:  I was thinking of getting one before I read about how bad it was - no one wants to be responsible for introducing an exotic pest however useful or beautiful. :(
Title: Re: Plant ID please.
Post by: arugula on February 10, 2013, 08:29
Thanks for that info. SkyeEnt. :)

You may want to consider trying to get rid of it (responsibly) before it takes over completely.  :unsure: 

Its OK, we came across this lot whilst on a forest walk quite a bit further up the west coast than we are. We did wonder when it seemed to be smothering the rhododendron! I guess this particular patch is the Forestry Commission's problem.