Can Anyone Identify This Plant/weed ?

[puzzlesRus]

It appeared out of the blue and I am curious to know what it is, before I dig it up.

www.brital.talktalk.net/mystery_plant.jpg

[Ratty2E]

From the photo it looks quite woody and shrub like (if I'm looking at the right thing) and with the reddish stems/branches, do you think it might be a dogwood?

[puzzlesRus]

Thanks Retrochick. I'll go with Bay Laurel. Phew...Thank goodness it's not Knotweed. !

Still don't know how it got there.

[rockyracoon]

I was going to suggest Cornus/Dogwood, but Ratty beat me to it. It looks very similar to one I had in the garden a couple of years ago.

[Chipchopper]

Retrochick's answer looks like a good contender.
If you crush a leaf in your hand the herby smell of the bay should be unmistakable.

[SirOracle]

PuzzlesRus.......In view of your Avatar you should be able to "Dispose" of it quickly and effectively,I would have thought. ;-)

[puzzlesRus]

@SirOracle.. Nice one ! So I gather that you recognise the badge and its significance.

[tamborine]

Dogwood. Its beauty is red branches in winter.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=360

[Sammy48]

I would say a Dogwood Shrub.

[puzzlesRus]

Dogwood has knotty stems, unlike my plant

[tamborine]

My untrained dogwood has straight stems. I use it to weave xmas wreaths

[SirOracle]

Yes puzzlesRus....I certainly do.

Also the generally unknown fact that the " Felix " personnel had by far the largest death toll of any British army unit in N.I.

[Peter Pedant]

no It is knot (!) Japanese kn/w

I have just looked out the back and compared ....

[gness]

Oh I'm fairly adorable.......and blasting a link really appeals to me....:-)

[Chipchopper]

With all due respect, I think 'Dogwood' (Cornus) can be taken out of the running as a contender, although it does bear many similarities.
If you look closely at a dogwood leaf, the veins/ribs of the leaves tend to branch off from the central midrib at approx 45 degrees then curve round sharply towards the tip of the leaf, rather than radiating straight out to the leaf edges.

Has this shrub been around long enough to determine if it is an evergreen or not ?

I'll be interested to hear if a crushed leaf will reveal that aromatic smell of bay.

[Robinia]

Me too Chipchopper. I haven't really been convinced by any suggestions....yet. :)

[Prudie]

Nor me, I've never thought it was a laurel/bay. The leaves don't look tough enough. I think puzzlerus will have to let it grow, see what it does and eventually put us out of our misery.

[Robinia]

Yes Prudie, maybe PRus can post another pic when it's fifteen feet high and halfway across the garden....:)

[hc4361]

Any decent nursery should be willing to identify it from a photo a good size cutting.

[tamborine]

This is my dogwood. There is white blossom on it atm.

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2rc5xcw&s=8#.VdmvGGbTW2c