What is it? I thought I planted… the label said…

Thu. May. 11, 2017

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Last June I bought a vine on sale.  It was labeled Lonicera Major Wheeler.  That’s a Honeysuckle vine with bright red blooms.  It grew like crazy, covering an old childs bedspring and part of my fence very quickly but I got no blooms.  This year the leaves look nothing like a honeysuckle vine and new growth is coming up ONLY from the ground, not on old growth like my Dropmore Scarlet.  What IS it?  I googled and searched and finally decided I need to go back to the place I bought it and show the picture I took.  Well, I went to THREE nurseries and none of them knew what it was.  However, two of the three figured it was a grafted plant and the one that grew last year was NOT the hardy one!

Mystery vine – could it be Japanese honeysuckle?

Right now, I’m thinking it either was mislabeled and it’s a Japanese Honeysuckle, or they used the graft of a Japanese honeysuckle. Their new growth leaves can look like little oak leaves which is what mine look like. Word on that street is that Lonicera japonica is a thug and completely unwelcome in our gardens.  HOWEVER, I’m going to let it grow and see what happens!  I’ll keep you posted.

Japanese honeysuckle picture from Missouri State U

And here’s another plant that I’ve been trying to identify!  I asked at each of the 3 nurseries and they didn’t know either but they ALL decided it was a weed!  It had some pretty decent roots.  I dug it up and stuck it behind the garage.  It looks like there may be more back there.  The younger leaves were bi-colored but as it aged they turned all green.  The pics below are from April and May 2017.

If you know what this is, please, contact me.  teri@gardenbite.com or on my facebook page.  the link is above.  Thank you!!  I love a mystery!!