What is this bush/tree/plant?

[gentlegreen]

Where do you live ?

 

[geminisnake]

- Splendid! Thank you... I quite fancy getting one of those now, but with my lack of green fingers I'd probably kill the poor thing off in just a few weeks!

Nah, you can fairly neglect it ime. It can be an indoor or outdoor plant and has pretty little lilac flowers. If you keep it indoors it flowers quite often. I have one. It was meant to be going outside, nearly 3 years later .......

 

[bubblesmcgrath]

Oops wrong thread

 

[souljacker]

Where do you live ?

Reading, innit.

 

[gentlegreen]

I reckon it must be a garden escape.
In terms of things flowering now, it has the gutsyness of something like a lilac, but I don't know how tall they are before they will flower - and I don't think I've ever seen one escape from a garden.

 

[Callie]

Anyone know what this is? Grows wild at the bottom of hedgerows round here. Lovely pinky red flower and quite a pungent smell. Mrs Soul and the little souls all love it.

valerian? centrathus ruber?

http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/problems/weeds/valerian/483.html

 

[gentlegreen]

*kicks self*

I was only looking at some of that the other day - I used to grow it myself.

 

[Callie]

theres loads all over the place on my way to work in varying shades of pink, red and purple. it certainly gets about!

 

[gentlegreen]

I could never get accurate info as to whether you can extract a valium-type sedative from red valerian root.

 

[souljacker]

valerian? centrathus ruber?

http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/problems/weeds/valerian/483.html

Cheers Callie. Thats the one.

 

[starfish]

We have this in our back garden. It must ve about 7ft tall but we dont know where it came from or what, for definite, it is.

 

[Leafster]

Hmmn, any chance of a bigger pic?

I "think" it might be a Mahonia from what I can make out?

 

[gentlegreen]

Initially I thought it looked a bit like an ash.
If it just blew in, my first thought would usually be elder...
But yes, rather fuzzy picture.

 

[starfish]

Hmmn, any chance of a bigger pic?

I "think" it might be a Mahonia from what I can make out?

Certainly

 

[Leafster]

I'm struggling, even with the bigger pic!

Don't think it's Elder as the compound leaves have more leaflets up each petiole than would be expected.

The upper growth does look a bit ash-like but there again, the leaf "fronds" look too long.

Has it had flowers or berries? If so what did they look like?

 

[starfish]

I dont recall any flowers or berries & the only other suggestion we've had was a wisteria!!

 

[gentlegreen]

yep - definitely could be that - but it seems to be standing rather well by itself. ...

 

[starfish]

Thats what i thought but then i thought wisteria were like ivys & grew over houses.

 

[gentlegreen]

Are there no remnants of previous flowers / seeds on the older part of the plant ?

 

[starfish]

Is all a bit of a mish mash in that part of the garden. I just mow the lawn & leave the rest to ms starfish so ive no idea whats been there & her planting style is a bit haphazard so could be anything there.

Thanks both for your suggestions though

 

[geminisnake]

starfish I think it's an elder or an ash. If you look at the bit where the leaf comes from the tree can you see any blackness, or were the buds black before the leaves came out? If they were it's an ash.

 

[starfish]

Would it grow that quickly in under 3 years?

 

[geminisnake]

Seems a bit quick but the last few years have been good growing weather. I have a rose that grows up to 6 ft in a year, and an oak I can climb in to cut upper branches that's only about 15

 

[madamv]

Hmmm. A couple of years ago our Korean neighbours planted melons here... I suspect these are still melons but not sure. Anyone know?

 

[madamv]

No one? Yu_Gi_Oh ?

 

[Yu_Gi_Oh]

No one? Yu_Gi_Oh ?

I know the plant but I always thought of it simply as a long smooth courgette/gourd of some kind so can't really say. Dandred might know?

 

[Dandred]

They are called Hobak, the English name they use here is baby pumpkin.

That's what they look like to me.

 

[Yu_Gi_Oh]

I thought maybe a bottle gourd?

 

[gentlegreen]

They look a bit more melony than marrrow-y to me - how about "winter melon" ?...

 

[Dandred]

Here is a better picture. The leaves look pretty similar