Run, run!! Evacuate! Prepare to sell your house!!

No, really, if it's either of a couple of possibilities that I'm familiar with... I'd go out and buy a BIG supply of Roundup right now, LOL!

This subject comes up occasionally, and I've related this story before but anyway...
Our neighbor in Edmonton planted a perennial morning glory on the chain link fence between our yards. It was very nice for a couple of years - blooming beautifully and displaying no wanton behavior at all. However, then, presumably having gotten comfortable in that time, it started sending up large number of shoots up to 10 feet away from the original plant. (That, at least, was the distance at which our concrete driveway interfered with it's quest for world domination. I don't know how far they might have gone, unimpeded.) So, anyway, dealing with the suckers from it became a routine gardening task for the time that we remained in that house. (The neighbors were not overly friendly folks, so I don't recall that we ever took it up with them specifically, and we were moving anyway... Unless they finally dealt with it, I assume it's probably eaten the entire subdivison by now. Hmmm, should be visible on satellite photos...) Anyway, I figure this particular monster was Convolvulus sepium.

According to my weed book, the more familiar perennial morning glory (also an introduced weed), field bindweed, Convolvulus arvensis has deep, cord-like rhizomatous roots "that have been reported to grow up to 30m in length and 9m deep". Impressive, no? Also, it "may flower within 6 weeks of germination" and "a severe infestation is capable of producing over 800 kg of seed per acre", and it "has been known to reduce crop yields by 50%".

I sure wouldn't knowingly allow either of these to get a foothold in my garden.

So, anyway, that's my experience with perennial morning glory.

Convolvulus sepium is actually on British Columbias' list of noxious weeds that they want you to get rid of. Since they have it classed with Cystisus scoparius (Scotch Broom) personally I wouldn't plant it. Here is the link the website.

Syreeta

Here is a link that might be useful: BC List of Noxious Weeds

And Convolvulus arvensis is on Saskatchewan's list of noxious weeds, while in Alberta, C. arvensis is "noxious", while C. sepium is a "nuisance" (no less undesirable but harder to get rid of; see below).

Excerpt from attached website: "What is the difference between restricted, noxious, and nuisance weeds?
Restricted weeds are usually found in very few regions of Alberta and usually low populations are present at any one location. They are designated Restricted to prevent their establishment. Where found, "Destruction" of the restricted weeds is required. Noxious weeds are already established in many regions of the province. "Control" of noxious weeds is required where they are identified as problematic. "Destruction" and "Control" are defined in the Weed Control Act. Nuisance weeds are common species that can be found throughout the Province, and as such are very difficult to eliminate. They can cause significant economic losses, but are so biologically suited to Alberta that they cannot be eradicated."

Here is a link that might be useful: link

So what did your DM do to her neighbor to P**S her off? That plant needs more than Roundup, it needs an exorcism!
It's like giving someone a gift of a Ford Pinto or an AMC Gremlin.

ROTFLMAO!! Hehe!! You guys are so good with your expressions! I love it! (Mind you, I'm also putting perenial MGs on my list of plants NOT to get...so far a very short list.)

That reminds me of the (un)friendship muffins my mom got from our neighbor when I was a kid...she didn't want to be rude, so she accepted the ice-cream pail full of the 'base'...didn't want to bother anyone else with it by 'sharing' it with them...and her concience worked to good to just make what she wanted and toss the rest (there are starving kids in Africa, don't you know)...we ate 'friendship' muffins for the rest of my childhood...LOL...hehehe...

Verena
(Who's falling off her chair with the giggles...)

Thanks for the info. Looks like I will be getting rid of this plant. Too bad, because I did like it.

Yes, they are very pretty.... but insidious...

After reading on the invasive plant post, I think that I'm going to keep this perennial morning glory and grow it in a pot instead and then sink the pot into the garden in the fall. I still don't see any signs of life, so maybe it didn't make the winter. I do this with my golden hops vine and it always makes it through.

OMG...you guys are life savers!!!
I was going through my seed packets that I started and noticed one of the things I started indoors is perennial morning glory...Convolvulus cantabrica....thank god I have been reading this thread and as soon as I saw the packet I recognized it.
I guess I never really connected the fact that this was a perennial...I just thought it would be the same as all other morning glories... Good thing...I was going to plant it along the back corner to cover my newly built composter and the ugly fence!
Disaster averted!

hunnerbun, the species we were discussing are the commmon perennial morning glory species that make the noxious weed list for various provinces, and that are occasionally planted in yards (because they are, nonetheless, very attractive).

(Unless you're pulling my leg...) I didn't mean to imply that every perennial convolvulus was necessarily a noxious, invasive weed... maybe they are, I don't know, but I wouldn't assume it without a lot more information.

I don't have any familiarity at all with C. cantabrica, but after a quick search, it appears to be a Mediterranean species, possibly extremely tender. Why don't you do some research on it, as to hardiness and possible invasiveness, given that it is a different species from a different geographic background as compared to the ones that are known to be noxious weeds? It will be interesting to hear what you find out, and should you decide to grow it (which I would), how it does for you.

Well after my panicked posting earlier, I did google it, but couldn't find much information at all. Most of the pages were in other languages and even with the translations they were hard to decipher.
I think I need a search lesson...I must be doing something wrong.

Hunner - when you search for something like that and are getting a lot of sites coming up in other languages, try putting in what you are searching for and then add an English word related to your search. I use GOOGLE for all my searches and when I looked up 'Convolvulus cantabrica' I also got a lot of stuff in other languages. I redid the search with 'Convolvulus cantabrica' and added 'perenial' that way it took out all the pages I couldn't understand.

I found a few places that said it is hardy to zone 7-8, from southern Europe, a smaller plant 6-16" with "dainty" 1/2 - 1" blossoms, and "very nice in a rock garden". From the looks of it, you shouldn't have a problem with it taking over your yard/neighborhood/town...it doesn't look like this variety is on a quest to for global domination...at least not yet. ;-)

Verena

I get it now.... Round-up it is. I'm sure it is C. sepium after doing the google. Vigorous little sucker.
Shelley