1. Virginia creeper

2. Pokeweed

3. Trumpet vine (campsis)?

#1 looks to be Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia).

If that is indeed what it is, it should be easy to pull out at this stage, but it'll surely return. Not an altogether horrible thing IN THE RIGHT PLACE - which it never quite seems to be. Berries are toxic and the sap can be a skin irritant.

Pokeweed is a perennial. To kill it, you must dig out all the root. Or dig out what you can and pour boiling water in the hole. Or use Roundup on the remaining root.

Whatever you do, don't let it go to seed!

congrats.. the 3 worst invaders in the world ...

none will be dissuaded by 'ripping' them out ... any root left will reanimate ...

i would use shears.. and round up .. using the very expensive tool at the link ...

roundup UNDILUTED.... is 41% ...

snip at ground level ... and apply one drip to the cut [enough to cover the stem cut]... return and do it again.. in a month if it didnt get the idea ...

though young plants may be killed with diluted spray ... the older ones most likely wont be killed on one application ...

the key here is the very minimal use of the RU ... properly applied ...

return unused product to the properly labeled container ...

i use kitchen chem proof gloves for safety ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

that all reseed aggressively ...

the babes.. this years seedlings.. will pull out easily ...

its the established ones that need the RU ... and may need more than one application ...

see link for why

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: you will NOt pull this out.. and it will scoff at you .. late in the night... if you try to kill it that way ... i hate that scoffing laughter in the dead of the night ...

I only know of the first two
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (virginia creeper)
and
Phytolacca americana (pokeweed)
both very assertive.
both great wildlife plants.
they have their place and work for me, but may be a bit too wild for a more formal setting.

Here is a link that might be useful: wilflower.org- virginia creeper

This post was edited by bubbleoffplumb on Tue, Jun 3, 14 at 14:52

They are not the 3 worst invaders - for one thing they are all native plants and provide some wildlife/insect value in the right place. In a tidy garden setting (or obsessively tidy in ken's case) they just need some help deciding what is the right place.

For me, the 3 worst invaders are Chinese privet, Japanese honeysuckle, and Elaeagnus.

The grass-like plants in photo 2 appear to be nutsedge (i.e. nut grass), so let's call it the four worst weeds. Sorry.

I'm with esh on this one. I appreciate the virginia creeper on my property because they provide a valuable service. I leave them to grow on the scraggy trees where the cavity birds nest to provide cover. They also hide the eyesores such important trees can be to 'refined' eyes of humans. They're quite attractive in fall as well, turning just a beautiful burgundy red.

I agree with the others about virginia creeper. It is a wonderful native plant, and should be allowed some space on all but the most tiny or tidy of properties. As gardeners, it is hoped that we are planting not just for ourselves, but for wildlife. Having a sterile garden is like living in a house with one chair IMHO :-)

The obsessively tidy don't (actually, or just claim to) battle the same weeds every year, aside from wind-blown and bird-dropped seeds (and when trying to garden under a seed-dropping tree.) They gain control by not allowing annuals to drop more seeds, and pulling/digging/smothering when necessary to evict anything perennial. Then maintaining control is easy by patrolling and pulling tiny sprouts when seen, before there is ever "weeding to do."

Invaders are kudzu, mimosa trees, gooseneck loosestrife, Ailanthus, and most grass. Natives can't, by definition, invade, though they can wander out of the bounds set by humans.

Ok, thank you all so much. So far I have lopped off the pokeweed and applied roundup to the cut site and the couple of remaining leaves. Hopefully that will do something! The Virginia creeper is going to get an aggressive pruning. Will that be good for keeping it in check? I think there is benefit to keeping native habitats for critters if possible. Any confirmation on #3 being trumpet vine? Not sure what to do with it? Any ideas? Thanks again for all your help.

Amna

I love Virginia Creeper. Navy blue berries in the late summer. Great for covering a fence. I do need to train mine though. If they grow in shade they won't get berries (or few) and the leaves will be huge (more surface area to try to bring in light). If it grows into an area I don't want it to, I just prune it. It will set down new roots wherever it touches ground.

Without knowing what you mean by keeping the VA creeper in check, the answer to that question could go either way. Since it's the beginning of June and you think it needs an aggressive pruning already, it sounds iffy. Agreed, the berries are attractive, and valuable food for various critters, but they are also seeds, so many sprouts will be showing up in future years from keeping this vine around your yard. They are not hard to pull, but look like poison ivy for about a week, kind of jarring. Dropped seeds/sprouts that result is why I don't keep many plants that drop seeds, even supposedly desirable perennials, a matter of personal preference to have as few unwanted sprouts to pull as possible. Going up a large tree is a great spot for a vine like this, if that's an option in your yard.

Roundup is absorbed by foliage in hot sunshine, so applying it to a cut stump is not always effective. If your pokeweed continues to grow, and is a small amount, pouring boiling water over it is known to kill it. Excavating around the root a bit can help expose it to make sure it is cooked/heated enough to die. If you try roundup again (on pokeweed or other plant,) it would work most effectively if applied on a warm, not windy day, after dew has dried, without cutting the plant first. Coating the foliage is all that is needed, for plants that can be killed by this. Once you gain control, chemicals should be unnecessary.