Does this look like Japanese knotweed?

[Summergarden]

Hi,

I’m due to look round a potential house to buy and was looking at the sales photos of the garden and suddenly realised that one of the shrubs looks very much like Japanese knotweed:/

Anyone else who has knowledge or experience of it, please can you look at the photo to see if you think it is or isn’t JK?

Many thanks.

That looks like bind weed to me.

Bind weed.

No it doesn’t. Japanese Knotweed has straight edges at the bottom of the leaf.

Definitely bindweed..... it's a bugger to get rid of but not as bad as Japanese knotweed

Thank you so much for the reassurance all.

We took a fence down between our neighbours, to plant a hedge. I am regretting this move as it is now rampant all through the hedge and impossible to get rid of - horrible stuff.

*with bindweed!

Bindweed. It’s a devil to get rid of as the roots go really deep, are brittle so snap easily & every little piece will grow again. You can keep it under control with glyphosate but it always seems to resurrect somewhere. It does have pretty bell shaped white flowers 🙄

Bindweed. A real pain to deal with. Japanese Knotweed on the other hand can damage structures, which is why houses with it have been either devalued or flatout condemned, because the weed gets into the foundations and structures.

It's not Japanese knotweed but please people it's not the villains it's made out to be! Other woody plants cause just as much if not more damage.
In fact in 2018 and sited by Parliament a study by University of Leeds says that while it is certainly an invasive plant and difficult to eradicate, the danger is to local indigenous flora, not buildings as such. Buddleia is considered worse in terms of causing actual damage to the built environment.

I don't think it is bindweed, looks more like lilac to me. Bindweed is a climber so grows up other things, that looks free standing (if that makes sense!), but it could just be the photo. OP if you ask MNHQ to move this to the gardening forum there are some very knowledgeable posters who will know for definite.

I think @Pinkywoo might be right. Doesn't quite match the leaf shape of bindweed - doesn't have the severe indentation at the top of the heart shape. Lilac is a good call.