New to gardening - please tell me this isn't knotweed?!

[RonnieRonRon]

We recently moved into our new house and this bush in my neighbours garden has been taunting me ever since. Just worried it is Japanese Knotweed from the heart-shaped leaves. It is right up the side of the house and as high as the first floor windows. It has a spear-shape of buds/little white flowers at the top of the tallest branches. Please can anyone identify it?

[MaudLebowski]

Not knotweed, looks a bit like lilac from the leaves. Knotweed doesn't flower in this climate so anything with flowers on can't be it.

[MaudLebowski]

Should have said knotweed looks like bamboo in the stem, basically green but streaked with red.
Hope this helps set your mind at rest!

[MaudLebowski]

Sorry, just found out it does flower down south, I am very North and it doesn't flower here. Apologies, I'll go away now!

[daisydotandgertie]

Nothing like knotweed - can't identify it from the photo, but it certainly isn't Japanese Knotweed. Looks more like a lilac or similar.

[RonnieRonRon]

Thank you both! I know nothing about plants- glad I can stop looking at that one with suspicion!

[wowfudge]

Er - I'm not so sure. The reflection from the window makes it very difficult to tell. I cannot see the flowers - if I could I'd be able tell if it's JK or not. It's around railway lines here in the NW and is flowering now.

[RonnieRonRon]

wowfudge we are SE, the flowers look like they've pretty much dried up but here's a pic through open window. Can't get a closer pic unfortunately because of the layout of the gardens.

[Northernlurker]

Hmmm I'm not sure either. Did you get a survey when you bought the house? The surveyor should have pointed it out if it is knotweed.

[RonnieRonRon]

We had a home buyers report - results were quite vague though and may not have checked that neighbour's front garden (the downstairs maisonette owns the garden between garden-with-suspect-bush and our front garden). The branches are all brown though, no red or green that I can see.

[wowfudge]

I can't be certain - the flowers look as though they are spikes from your photo, knotweed flowers aren't like that and the overall shape looks wrong for JK.

[MaudLebowski]

I'm even more sure it's not after the second picture, there's a stem in the middle of the picture at the bottom where the leaves are in pairs across the stem, knotweed has single leaves alternating on each side of the stem.

[RonnieRonRon]

Phew, thank you everyone!

[Mitzimaybe]

Looks like lilac to me too.