Readers Respond: Plants I Regret Planting in My Garden

A few years down the line, you wonder what you were thinking. Lily of the Valley is popping up everywhere, Datura seeded so thickly you need a fork to dig it out and your Obedient Plant is no longer deserving of its name. Some things we only learn with experience.

Today, instead of passing along a plant, pass along your wisdom and tell us what plant or plants you wish you had never planted in your garden. What Not to Grow

Lemon Balm

Lemon balm. I like a little, as I make tea with it, but it spreads everywhere. It makes so many new plants almost impossible to remove it all.

—Guest Lin

Two I want to say goodbye to forever!

Unless you have a large area that you don't mind having self-sowed, don't plant a Rose-of-Sharon. They will self-seed and sprout up EVERYWHERE! And their roots are amazingly tough and deep for their size ... really a pain in the grass! The second plant is CHAMELEON PLANT - ugh. It looked so pretty in the picture. It doesn't look so nice when it becomes completely unmanageable and spreads rapidly by runners, sprouting up everywhere throughout your gardens!

—schmerb

4 O'Clocks

4 O'CLOCKS--THEY GET TOO BIG AND TALL AND COME UP EVERYWHERE THE NEXT SEASON.

—Guest CLAUDIA

Scotch Broom

Scotch broom/heather is very pretty but grows very large and cannot be dug up by any human - after I planted it I learned it was invasive! Fortunately it finally died - Mother Nature can be kind...

—Guest barb.

Rue

We rue the day that we planted rue. It was supposed to be a pretty plant. Rue really does have the ability to make skin more sensitive to the sun.... even to the point of causing blistered sunburns. Sometimes it seemed like we didn't need to even touch it! And just in case you're wondering... it isn't a pretty plant anyway.

—JohnandAnni

Lamiastrum

Lamiastrum galeobdolon (yellow archangel) Should be called invading archdevil. I see that it has recieved a noxious weed status in King County, Washington.

—Guest Marilynn

Japanese Knotweed

When you folks say bamboo are you talking about Japanese knotweed? It looks like bamboo, is impossible to get rid of, and turns into a huge pile of dead sticks in the fall.

—Guest Amanda

Bamboo

Twice I have inherited bamboo in a yard. It "creeps" into any available space and is nearly impossible to get rid of short of digging out the roots. If you catch it early enough you can mow it, but once the stems get too thick it must be dug up or it will come right back.

—kat.bales

Tree of Heaven

I don't know the Latin name but this tree's common name should be Tree from Hell since the seeds sprout with a long tap root and are next to impossible to pull completely so instead of one sprout I end up with a many branched shrub. These large trees grow in my neighborhood with millions of seed blowing in the wind and sprouting everywhere, including in my rain gutters!

—Guest Helen

Horseradish

I tried horseradish because my father always had some tucked into a corner of his big garden and I remembered how wonderful freshly grated horseradish tasted in the fall and winter. So I got a couple of small roots from a friend and planted them in my herb bed anticipating a wonderful fall harvest. Well, I have framed planting beds, about 4'x6', and those few small roots gradually (over 2 years) took over the whole bed. I have spent the last 3 years trying to clear the bed, finally last summer I dug up all the remaining roots I could find and put down black plastic and left it for the whole season. I roughly dug the bed last fall and left it bare for the winter. I want my herb bed back and not horseradish. I planted some in a half barrel on my deck, will never again plant any in the ground!

—Guest Helen

Mint (spear, pepper, catnip, etc.).

Extreamly invasive. I remember my neighbor John laughing at me as I planted it. In one season it grew one sucker root eight feet out! I know this because I spent 13 hrs. tracing down every piece of root the very next season. A posible way to grow these plants safely- Use containers impervious to root penetration. To prevent root growth out the drain hole, (do not use saucers or catch basins, due to mosquito born diseases. ) place container on concrete or steel, anything absolutely impervious to roots! Cut all flower buds off continously! Enjoy your mint.

—Guest Ted g.

Large Plants that Take Over

Sambucus nigre Black Beauty- elderflower - unless you have big space to fill quickly; it's pretty but huge & hard to eradicate. Typhus Rhus - an even worse pest that pops up everywhere. White jasmine - another giant in sweet smelling disguise. Echium - the wild sort, spreads like mad and gets too big & sprawly - plenty of other bee friendly plants.

—Guest mandy

Regrets

Lily of the valley, spiderwort, roadside daylilies, euonymus, forsythia, phlox, creeping jenny,violets: I guarantee you will be sorry.

—Guest Pam zone 6a

Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate

Received these from a internet Garden club and that was 6 yrs ago..Now trying to keep them out of my veggie garden...

—Guest Karen

Wisteria

Not sure which variety but it can take over your entire house, whole trees, & cars! It's like Kudzu that smells good! Also PLEASE do not use ROUNDUP! It is like using Agent Orange in your own yard! Plus it never goes away! It is a petroleum based poison which has been found in the blood of newborns and adults alike! We are poisoning ourselves if we trust ANYTHING cranked out by Monsanto! Try boiling water with salt or use a spray bottle with vinegar to kill off invasives. Digging them up is really the best route. Plus you may want to keep all the wild bushcraft salad that grows in your yards. Times are getting tougher. Recall in the dust bowl some families had only grass to eat! A weed is a plant who's medicinal use has not yet been discovered!!

—Guest Sophia