id go look on the sunny side of the fence.. because nothing in that much shade should grow that fast .. that you wouldnt notice it until july ...

or .. since the fence looks pretty new.. did anything get cut back to install the fence???

ken

Yes: Smilax.

Hydrangeas do not have thorns and is it me or those thorns look nasty? Wow, be careful.Sorry about your hydrangea. My pooches used to trample any plants in between them and the squirrels they were chasing! Hee, hee, hee. Lost three boxwoods, hydrangeas, camellias.I would have used a Star Trek Force Field around those plants if one was really available. Ha!

Embothrium has it correct - it is a Smilax of some type. Saw briar, cat briar, green briar are some of the common names and hard to get rid of as the root system ends in a big tuber and several inches below the surface. Cut it or spray it but it will be back so continue cutting and spraying or dig it up if you can.

thank you all so much! I thought maybe I just had some killer hydrangea that was just sick of being trampled! haha 😂

@hc mcdole, what would you suggest I spray it with?

I use Round Up or a generic form of it. It is difficult to kill so a brush killer might do a better job.

I have one or more that come up in a flowering quince hedge and there are so many stems of the bush, that it is impossible to dig the Smilax out or even think of spraying. I try to follow it as close to the ground as possible and clip it but it will be back again and again.

If it is in the open, I will cut it and then spray the cut end if I have a tank mixed and ready. If it is a small shoot then I will spray the entire plant. A lot of the spray will roll off of the leaves since they are kind of waxy.

Here is the quince bush it comes up in - no sign of it this day but it will be back again and again.