This beautiful plant if growing on my fence and it just bloomed. Any idea what it is?
It is called Sweet autumn clematis
Yes, it is! It smells amazing, and the bees absolutely love it. I’ve trained mine on a trellis over a swing, and it looks fantastic. While it’s true that it can be invasive and get out of control, regular monitoring and heavy pruning in the winter will help keep it in check. I’ve been able to manage it with minimal effort. English ivy, on the other hand…
I’m a bit envious of everyone dealing with this invasive plant while I’m stuck with the tree of heaven!
It spreads by seed, so unless you’re cutting it down before the seed heads develop, you’re not really controlling its spread to other areas beyond your property.
It’s highly invasive, so it’s best to pull it out.
This ended up in our neighbor’s side yard garden, and they didn’t take any action. Over the course of 3-4 years, it spread like wildfire and completely smothered some rhododendrons that had been there for decades. Now it’s popping up all over my yard and in my garden beds—completely out of control and nearly impossible to stop. I will admit, though, it smells amazing this time of year (I’m in NJ, zone 7b).