I know I never planted it but would like to know what it is and if it's invasive. Thanks.

I'd like to know too. It is very enthusiastic around here as well.

Porcelain Berry (Ampelopsis heterophylla)

It's a very unpleasant weed in eastern North America.

Thanks, Kent. I'll attack it today.

Make sure to NOT pull it up, Pirl. it has a taproot and spreads by under ground runners. Every tiny piece of Ampelopsis is capable of sprouting. We have been fighting Ampelopsis cordata for a couple years now. My husband ran over a patch with the lawn mower and it started growing every where.

How do I get it out of the ground? I very seldom "pull" weeds, preferring to dig since that's a more permanent solution. Thanks, Jean.

I would suggest using a weed killer. Arlene. Cut the vines back and paint the cuts with herbicide like weed-be-gone or roundup or any of the woody plant herbicides..
Put the cuttings in a plastic garbage bag and set them in the sun for a couple weeks. Don't let any of it get near a compost bin or another bed.
I have found 10 to 12 foot runners going in a number of directions. If you cut through a runner, it will start a new plant.

It isn't grape, but it is evil.

I have one of these vines, mine is variegated, and I love it. I have it in a large planter. I just make sure to keep it in check a few times a year. I would not suggest letting it go uncontrolled in the ground unless it has lots of space of it's own. The berries do drop seed and they sprout.
Here is a pic of one I had, I put a trellis in the wood barrel for it to climb on. It would grow down over the edge of the planter onto the ground and I just trimmed it, It will root anywhere it touches the ground.

Thanks, Jean. I have a poison that will work.

Frillylily - Though I do appreciate your post, I have to eliminate this pest.

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alie...

Thanks, Kent. I have had them in other places in the gardens and they were easy enough to remove but they were only at 3 or 4' and didn't have berries. Should I remove the berries (to trash) before I give the base some poison?

Yes, the most effective approach would be to cut the plant off at the base and immediately treat the stump with a herbicide. One that contains triclopyr would be the best. Triclopyr is more likely to kill the vine with less collateral damage than other options. If you can also throw the berries in the trash, that would be ideal.

This plant is very much like Kudzu's pretty cousin and just as rude.

It's a job that calls for a ladder (to get the berries) and since it's surrounded by raspberries, it should be a good way to spend Monday. All the raspberries will have to get cut back before I can get a ladder in there. I'll alert EMR.

Missed your post as I typed, Jean. Well, that's certainly no compliment to the plant! I'm sure it doesn't warrant any compliments.

I would suggest if possible placing a trash bag over as much of the plant as possible when you start cutting. Helps keep berries from scattering. Do handle with gloves. After cleaning out a large section, I neglected to put my gloves back on to rake up and bag the vines....after the clean up and for days, my palms were itchy and red and the skin was extremely dry.

I thought peppervine was a thug...compared to this one, peppervine is just a brat.

I can rig up some plastic bags or tarps to catch the berries. Thanks for the great idea - I'd never have thought of it! I will handle with gloves!

Just yesterday I dug a full bag of Gooseneck Loosestrife roots that had wandered beyond their allotted space. Plants can become less than a joy when it takes a lot of time to contain them.


Next time I face this issue I'll dig it up, pot it and plug up the drainage holes!

I set potted plants that send roots through the drainage hole on a concrete paver so they can't root into the ground. That way they still have drainage.

Next time I just may rip it out and plant something with better behavior.

The saga of the removal of Porcelain Berry Vine

As I faced it today at 1 PM. It's surrounded by raspberries:

While cutting back the raspberries I accidentally cut back the vine. Here you can see the two cut ends:

By 2:30 all raspberries had been cut back, all Louisiana irises dug, and we were left with two stumps:

Jack offered to dig and I accepted. He managed to find still more raspberries!
You can see my green jug of poison ready, at the left bottom of the photo.

Now we're left with these roots that extend into the garden protected from deer by deer fencing:

5:15 We're left with the roots that do get very narrow. Can I just cut them off and keep an eye out for future growth?
No tap root was found at all.