Thyme... hate it
- I inherited an herb garden, planted in raised beds right off the patio - and I wanted to put annuals there - so I could tend them easier... Well, the thyme is out of control, woody, invasive... and a so and so to pull out. My solution has been to water it profusely - then take it out by the shovel full - and transplant it to my xeriscape yard... it keeps the thistles, grasses and stickers at bay.. thyme will give light blue flowers in September.. and given room to roam, isn't a bad ground cover... but in beds? NEVER.
- —Guest carol
Lovely Smell, but Spreads Everywhere
- LEMON BALM is a lovely smelling and usefull herb but it throws its seed everywhere. Its hard to dig up when established
- —Guest Bubbles
Invasive Plants
- If you really want something that is invasive yet really helpful plant Winter Rye in your lawn. My husband planted it 50 years ago it was recommended by a Maine farmer who gave him a milk bottle full. It looks better than regular grass in the lawn. It is always green even in the extreme heat and drought of this summer. It will fill in any bare spots of regular grass you may have. Plant it in October. You must keep it it cut at 4 inches to control the height. Remember the book" Catcher in the Rye"(banned in Boston).
- —Guest Becky64
I Regret Letting Them Go to Seed
- I'm glad that I have a patch of garlic chives, but regret ever having let it go to seed. As long as you remove the unripened seed heads, the flowers are great.
- —Guest mike
Holly
- Any type of Holly shrub or tree, ivy, etc. Even our poor clay soil feeds these aggressive regretful plants.
- —Guest Guest Kat
Grasses and Dead Nettles
- Planted 9 White Nancy's and 3 fescue grasses and only one survived, thankfully the Ajugas are still growing!!
- —Guest Anne Heffernan
Dahlias
- I planted dahlia's this summer and wasn't aware that they needed so much water. Next summer I will look out for plants that don't need much water due to our dry summer
- —Guest constance
Ornamental Grass
- Not sure of the kind of grass this is, but it grows out of control and the leaves cut your arms in half when pruning. yuck.
- —Guest nancy wells
Incense Passiflora
- If you plant this they will come...all your neighbors from six doors down...bearing hatchets!
- —plantlady55
Still Battling Houttuynia Cordata
- Went back and reviewed my previous posts re this highly invasive plant, also called Chameleon plant. It's still winning! The rhizomes or runners creep under the soil and pop up everywhere. The seeds spread easily and not even snails will eat it. I think it thrives on abuse! We've dug it, pulled it, sprayed it, limited water---nothing works. Ironically, in some Eastern cultures, it is considered an essential part of herbal medicine.
- —Guest nandoyle
Black-eyed Susan
- They go every where. I gave almost all of them away. I did keep a few in a out of the ay place
- —Guest marty
Mint and Chives
- I planted pineapple mint and chives in the herb garden 6 years ago and they are both impossible to contain.
- —Guest Vivian
Pole beans!
- I don't know whether I knew they would be pole beans--I thought I had determined that none of the ones I was planting were. But it would be just like me to sneak a packet into my "To Plant" pile after I'd already checked everything out--and the pole beans that ended up sprouting started taking over the entire garden! Shading my arttichoke, rambling over my hops, growing up my tomato cages, and crawling into my neighbour's plot at the community garden. Enough is enough! No more pole beans until I have a farm or a 20-foot trellis for them!
- —Guest Kenneth Moore
Hate these plants!
- When we moved in fully half of our back yard was MINT (Mentha). Took years to get rid of it. A friend took some but kept it in a confined space and she loved it. We're still finding the occasional sprig of NIGHTSHADE (Atropa belladonna) that was hiding in the juniper trees. That's not as bad as the LEMON BALM (Melissa officinalis) that looked so pretty in its 4" pot and was wanted for making tea. It is an attractive plant but you have to be careful where you put it. We never guessed it would spread to about 6 feet and try to invade the backyard. Turns out it's related to the mint it replaced! And it made lousy tea. We're now hating the SWEET WOODRUFF (Galium odoratum) my husband thought would make such a nice ground cover. It does, and it's a very pretty plant (much nicer than neighbors pachysandra). But it chokes out just about everything in its path. Gone are my violas, lavender, silver mound, and balloon flower plants. (we are in zone 6b, Cleveland, OH)
- —Guest peanuts1957
Lyre Leaf Salvia
- This reseeded like crazy!! I bought one or two and now have it all over the place including my lawn!
- —Guest Tchaney
