What is this monster?

7 years ago

We took ownership of our new home at the end of Aug 2016, at which time I noticed something with maple-looking leaves peeking up above a pretty bush on the front slope (no idea what this bush is, so I'd love some help IDing it as well!). Since August, whatever this plant is has grown probably 5 feet! I thought perhaps they were maple saplings, but now that I can see the base it looks like it is a single plant with multiple shoots. It is currently just a tall bunch of bare sticks, but I'm hoping you can help me ID it from the foliage visible in the summer photo plus the photo of the base/sticks taken today. Thanks!

Summer (pretty white-flowered bush in the foreground, 4-5 slim branches with maple-shaped leaves just behind are the monster plant):

Today (sorry for the poor light, but the pale sticks are the plant in question - they extend another couple of feet beyond what the photo shows):

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

7 years ago

Smaller, white flowered shrub in foreground looks like Itea virginica. Larger one with, maple shaped leaves could describe a number of plants but a viburnum (V. trilobum or V. opulus) would be a possible choice. These can get quite large.

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Comments (13)

biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
Original Author
7 years ago
Hm, the white flowered one does look like Itea virginica, although I don't remember seeing any deep red foliage in the fall. I will have to pay more attention this year! As for the monster, I don't recall any fruit or flowers, but then again, the plant was nearly invisible until it went crazy in the late fall. We'll see what it does in the spring!
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
7 years ago
If a viburnum, flowers would have come and gone well before your August move in! And fruit from a viburnum is never guaranteed - usually need two different but similar varieties for that to happen.

Same with fall color on other shrubs. Can be highly influenced by siting, weather and water.
biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
Original Author
7 years ago
Good to know! I am eager to see what everything looks like in the spring - we visited the house several times in April last year, but never had a chance to really inspect the plant life until we moved in. I will update these ID threads with new photos once everything turns green again!
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
7 years ago
Can you provide a better picture of the bare stems behind? This one is too distant and straight into the sun so no details are discernible. At the moment my best guess is an actual maple sapling. The dead leaves on the ground look right.
biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley) thanked floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
7 years ago
I agree with floral on this one. Could you show a photo of the buds on the stem? Winter buds of Viburnum vs. maple will be quite distinct. I am thinking that it might be a weedy Norway maple that seeded into the garden and was cut off to help tidy the garden for sale, and then resprouted with several stems.
biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley) thanked NHBabs z4b-5a NH
biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
Original Author
7 years ago
I will try to snap a close-up/less sunny photo tomorrow. We have a ton of Norway maples in this neighborhood so that wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.
Embothrium
7 years ago
Probably a Norway Maple that seeded in there.
weedwoman
7 years ago
i'm with NHBabs. Somebody cut down a Norway Maple sapling and it's sending up new shoots.
biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
Original Author
7 years ago
Went out for a closer inspection this morning and I think the Norway maples are right. there is a heavy trunk/stump hiding behind the base of that Itea virginica. Unfortunately I couldn't reach any of the branches to pull them down for a closer inspection, and I didn't have time to go get a stepladder, but here are a couple of photos taken with my zoom (the monster is the lightest-colored branches in all photos). Now the question is, how do I get rid of the damn thing?
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years ago
cut it to the ground .. apply a stump killer.. like undiluted round up ... and plant things to the side ...

too many peeps think.. that cutting down a shrub or a tree will kill it .. that rarely happens .. with no insult to the root mass ...

i use the applicator at the link.. to drip minute amounts of killer on each cut, at the ground ... if tipped it wont run out .. minimal application amounts ... do not store near the hot dogs ... in fact.. return unused product to labeled container ...

the stump will eventually rot out ...

ken

https://www.google.com/search?q=plochmans+mustard&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=XQTcUYCCC_OFyQGCg4DAAg&biw=1154&bih=805&sei=XwTcUbmZHZK4yAHD0oDYDw
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years ago
btw.. if its intertwined with another plant .. you can kill one thru dripping.. with no impact on the other.. imo ...

one thing for sure.. it is NOT A SPRAYING THING ....

ken
biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
Original Author
7 years ago
I just armed myself with triclopyr to try to eradicate a privet hedge in my backyard, so hopefully that will work on this thing as well. I already have a huge section of backyard where nothing will grow thanks to a Norway maple, I'm not letting one take over my front slope too!