I have a handful of plants growing in a previously un-kept slope in my backyard, and no one can ID them at any nursery. I took all these photos in July/August. Photo 1: No idea. Photos 2 and 3: this is growing out of a stump of an old crabapple tree - I suspect the tree has just started to re-grow (yay!), but want to check that this isn't an opportunistic weed. Photos 4/5: This rose plant is outrageously vine-y. It's sprouting everywhere on the ground and climbing through anything that gets in its way. I want to make sure it doesn't out-compete everything else in the garden. "Wild" photo: This is a plant I found in the forest at Pitt Lake and I'm in love with it.
That's definitely it! Thanks David. I see that it's not native to BC, and since it's causing me frustration taking over my garden I'll probably attempt to remove it (that will be quite the task though!). The stuff is like rope, so it's also a major tripping hazard on my sandy slope.
The last photo makes me think of Rhododendron occidentale, a south-of-the-border native azalea, or perhaps one of its cultivars. It looks like it could use some TLC.
photo 1 --- is it a privet? I have a volunteer privet in my garden and the newer leaves look like your photo - as they age (it is evergreen I think?) - they become darker and more leathery. photo 2 -3 - remember that some ornamental trees are grafted so you might not be getting the pretty flowering crabapple tree back again photo 4-5 (rose) - again, some ornamentals are grafted - so you might have the root-stock taking over. I have had that in a previous garden - what a MESS. (yes, capital letters) photo 6 - I know I have seen this in Manning Park (BC), North Cascades Ntl Park (WA) etc - on the west side of the coast-cascade mountains - I don't know what it is off the top of my head.
RE photo 6 - Daniel - does one see these around the "Rhododendron Flats" little forest of rhodos on the side of Hwy 3 in Manning Park, BC? I think I have seen them there --- also in North Cascades Ntl Park. (WA)
I think they can be seen there, if I recall correctly from a visit several years ago -- this species is far more common in the province than the namesake Rhododendron macrophyllum of Rhododendron Flats. (had a look at the Eflora BC maps -- yes, they should be found there) Plenty along the Yew Lake Trail up on Cypress, where I saw them a couple weeks ago.
So the mystery is solved for Plant #1 - In the Spring I cut down a ten foot plant of Aralia spinosa (Devil's walking stick). It appears to have reproduced and I now have about 12 seedlings popping up. I didn't notice the telltale thorns on these babies at first but now I have no doubt.
Interesting about the crabapple...so what can I expect if it was indeed grafted? It may have originally been a voluntary growth of Pacific Crabapple because the owers before us ha a fence up right in front of the tree as if they didn't even know it was there.
I see the resemblance for rhododendron...but I'm still unsure if that's it because the leaves on this plant are very thin and matte (like tissue paper) whereas with rhodos I would expect them to be thick and glossy. And since I took the photo in summer shouldn't it show some signs of flowering? Or maybe it's just a juvenile? I'll have to get better photos next time I'm in the forest.
wow - devils walking stick - I think I'd be removing the seedlings asap - Crabapple - now I assumed it had been ornamental (the pretty flowering ones) - not thinking it might have been an old "volunteer" of a real farm variety started by birds or bears depositing the seeds after raiding the harvest! I know where we grew up on an old farm in the Greater Vancouver BC area - there were quite a few pioneer-planted (homestead farmers) fruit trees, mainly apples (one still produces - the current people who own it considered some DNA testing as it is such a good green cooking apple) --- plums (yellow and purple types) --- and some crabapples - so I know at one time they were popular at the coast. (not often seen now as a farm fruit unless at a specialty booth at the farmer market or something) I really don't know how to determine exactly what you've got - if it's not in the way - I suppose you could let it grow and see how it flowers in spring etc. Right now the leaves don't look like farm or ornamental crab apple (the rough serrated edges) ---- apple leaves are smoother I wonder if it is the Pacific Crab Apple (Oregon Crab Apple) https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/treebook/pacificcrabapple.htm here's an older thread about crab apples (the ornamental ones common along streets in Vancouver) http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=24954
Ah yes that's it. Thanks Daniel! It's funny though, the only image that resembles my photo is the one by Bud Kovalchik where the leaves are a deep emerald color...I've never seen a plant that looked so different form one photo to the next. So my next question is: are these purchasable at native plant nurseries? And do they do well in cultivated gardens, or best left to the wild forests?
Yes, I'll be dealing with those aptly named devil plants this weekend. Thanks for the crabapple info! Looking at photos of Pacific Crab Apple I'm pretty sure that's the one (I've seen photos before it was cut down). So we'll see how it re-grows.
I've only rarely seen it in cultivated situations. Your best bet would be to contact some Native Plant Nurseries and Seed Suppliers (via the Native Plant Society of BC As for variability, hmm. Colour difference could be attributed somewhat to individual cameras / exposures, but individual plants will also be variable due to water and light availability.
