plant ID please

[NotAnEMERGENCY]

Does anyone know what this is (with leaves at the end of two long branch stems that make a sort of U-shape)?

An ash or walnut sapling.

Ash tree, they self seed and spread. Roots are a nightmare to get out.

Pull or dig out. As above.

I'd better get digging then... Thanks!

Hmmm. I just tried digging one up on the other side of the garden. I thought that first as there aren't any other plants too near it. It comes out of the soil directly next to the wooden board that divides the border from the lawn. One of the roots goes directly under the lawn and it's still 2cm in diameter there so I wouldn't be able to get it out without a lot of upheaval. Will it cause a lot of problems if I just leave that root?

Also, the sapling in the photo is very close to a sedum and vinca. Is time really of the essence in terms of digging the sapling up or would it be OK to wait until winter when the sedum is dormant so I can see what I'm doing better and less likely to damage plants that I want to keep?

It needs to come out pronto, they can put on a good spurt of growth in summer. Maybe painting the leaves with glyphosate would do the trick, and be an easier option.

It could wait till autumn - could you organise a strong person to help? I myself couldn’t manage it alone. The roots go very deep, even for saplings, and it’s very tough to pull them out. The sapling won’t seed this year so no dramatic reason for emergency action, it may grow a few cm over the summer. I wouldn’t use glyphosate because of the damage to wildlife and surrounding plants, especially as the roots are touching.

Alternatively, you could cut the leaves off to stunt growth, and pull it out in the autumn. The only thing I don’t know is whether this would make tree put all is energy into root growth, making it harder to pull out.

I guess I'll just have to do the best I can and see how it goes...

I’ve got these, do folk think they are thecsame plant as ops?

I think yes, they also look like ash saplings. Had twenty of these last year. So hard to pull out, the gardeners had to do it.