Identify Giant Problem Weed

diddlybit

Hi all,

A very tall weed has appeared in our back garden over the last couple of months. I've never seen anything grow this fast, one grew about 2.5 metres in a couple of weeks. This year was the first time we saw it, but there are a couple of them in the back. Most of them have been cut back, but I'm sure they'll reappear.

It's got really thick stems and a multi stem base. No flowers on it and serrated leaves. I've attached a couple of photos of the base and the leaves. One photo of the last one that hasn't been cut back as it grew in between an old tree trunk and the boundary fence so it's quite difficult to reach. For scale reference, the building behind it is a two storey shed.:eek:

What is it and how do we get rid of it? Should we be worried about it?

Any help or advice would be very much appreciated. My partner and I are terrible gardeners.

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ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Looks like Elderberry. It sure grows and can be a pest in the garden.

Teyla Emmagan

Yeah, elderberry. You can make a lovely cordial from the berries!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

Yeah, elderberry. You can make a lovely cordial from the berries!

You certainly can, and I have. But you really don't want it in the garden. Plenty of it in the hedgerows.

looksee

Yes, elderberry. Not really a garden plant, gets too big and has nothing really going for it apart from the culinary use of flowers and berries. There are plenty in the wild for those purposes.

diddlybit

Thanks guys, much appreciated. As wonderful as elderberry cordial sounds, our small Dublin garden is much too small for six/seven of them.

smacl

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

Yeah, elderberry. You can make a lovely cordial from the berries!

And you can make fantastic pancakes and wine from the flowers! Garden variety is more often black elder, which is has dark purple foliage and is a bit slower growing.

Hocus Focus

Just a correction there; the flowers will make a nice cordial, which you can have as a non-alcoholic drink or add to vodka or gin, while a very nice red wine can be made from the berries.

looksee

Hocus Focus wrote: »

Just a correction there; the flowers will make a nice cordial, which you can have as a non-alcoholic drink or add to vodka or gin, while a very nice red wine can be made from the berries.

You can make elderflower wine too.

smacl

looksee wrote: »

You can make elderflower wine too.

And very tasty it is too

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

The flowers dipped in a batter and deep fried, are delicious.