I think that's the thing I couldn't spell

Thanks Trouble, I'll have to go and look that up now then! Dave has just said it's not a weed, but the way it takes over my garden I thought it was!! I'll take another picture tomorrow and show you just how much it takes over everything around here! It's a trifid!

it did say in that link that it is used to cover telegraph poles and entire buildings, weed indeed

Sorry for spooking you Helen,but when you said it takes over-i immediately think of Jap knotweed! Glad it isnt cause this is probably the worst weed on planet earth and has to be incinerated by law!

I agree with Trouble with regards to your closeup piccy that you often see it wrapped around telegraph poles and looks like part of the ivy family so normal pruning will be alright.

ps.A weed is simply a plant in the wrong place!

ooh i like the colours of that one very vibrant

Is it common then??? I haven't seen it around much, but I certainly wouldn't want something common in MY garden!!!!!

It has such a short life too, it spends all that time working so hard creeping around everywhere, then it bursts into this magnificent red leaf for but a short time, and then it dies, usually in about a week! How sad is that!!!

Found it's common name now Virginia Creeper, and yep, that's definitely it, and you can buy it from garden centres - or you can come down here and take a cutting!
http://www.english-country-garden.co...-creeper-3.jpg

what sort of soil have you got? , it doesn't grow particularly well on mine, it requires nurturing and I can't be bothered, there's too many other plants that will grow without me standing guard

Well, funnilly enough Trouble, I'm on chalk here being the South Downs, and Rhodedendrons are not suppossed to like this are they, nor Japanese maples, and yet I have the most magnificent rhode and Japanese maple both thriving in my garden!!! They like ericascious don't they, not chalk! All plants love my soil, as well as me!!

I don't mean I like the soil there, I mean they like meeeee!

Well I have good old london clay, but have imported masses of top soil and have ericacious beds too, so have lots of thriving maples, pieris etc. but have so much crammed in weeds don't get a look in, and if I want any more plants I shall have to use pots or dig something up

It's gorgeous - what fab colouring.