I enjoyed your post. They complement the hostas in my shady woodland garden and the ones I have dont seem too aggressive. Right now I've got a plethora of dandelions & other varieties of weeds. This blogger was not influencing anyone. Catmint is perfect for containers, borders, herb gardens, and pollinator gardens. It is. The seeds get into gutters and streets, wash out to streams and rivers, sprout EVERYWHERE in the wild areas and crowd out native vegetation. Tennessee as well. Is. Prior owners put it in and it was 50 feet across the abutting s hool yard when I moved in. Plant once and have flowers that bloom for years. Since then I've learned a lot from everyones comments. Don't plant them unless your ready to for that kind of commitment lol. May be a noxious weed or invasive. I have Hollyhocks that have taken over a new perennial bed that I've spent more $ then I care to think about on. Almost every daylily in the market performs and behaves better than the ditch-lily you cite. But golly, it's pretty. Where I planted them they are perfect, where they have jumped Not So Much. It is widely cultivated around the world for both its foliage and blue flowers. Lantana ( Lantana camara) is a broadleaf evergreen shrub native to tropical areas, and it is a notable invasive in Florida and Georgia and across the South all the way to California. I planted it and soon realized how 'happy' aka invasive it is! Now I have Chameleon (Lizard Tail) EVERYWHERE and cannot get rid of it. 3 lots. Japanese catmints (N. subsessilis) will benefit from regular watering to keep the soil moist. Its shape is like a blue bowling ball in the . Violets! Many of the garden bloggers that I follow don't have degrees in horticulture, nor do we profess to. I have planted many of your list and not had the same experiences. We really need to work to keep the bee population, and plant native. What is in my garden now that seems to be doing very well is the hostas and day lillies (the orange ones). Loved your post and I learned a lot!! You're right. You must not have any experience with that. That goes for many trees too. However, most cultivars sold these days are clump forming and bred for disciplined and polished garden performance, and should not be written off. I have spent 3 years trying to get it out of my hosta bed. I met someone who kept having to dig up new shoots that multiplied quickly. I know mine has been a huge help in figuring out what works well in this area and what doesn't. I have not found many of these difficult to control and love that they compete well with each other and provide a nice textural structure without a lot of messing around, allowing me to focus efforts on establishing the specimens such as a garnet laceleaf japanese maple (which by the way the lillies of the valley work wonderfully underneath). They can also get out of control if not divided regularly. RIBBON GRASS! Good luck trying to get it under control. I'm a complete gardening novice & all this info leaves me rather breathless, wondering what I should try to beautify the small strips of space in front of my newly rented duplex in Vancouver, USA. Faassen's catmint is sterile and won't self . These dependable perennials produce a profusion of usually lavender-blue flowers over a long season from late-spring to late-summer. Convallaria rosea is the name I found for them. Deep roots and often has poison ivy mixed in. Do you know what kind of soil you have? Still coming. I still have no idea what all is in my garden. Wow! Planted outside of its native range, catmint can be somewhat invasive. On a good note they will certainly choke out all other plants in its path!! One is "Primrose". You cant pull it up, its too deep. If you leave any of it, it comes back worse. I live in Los Angeles along the coast. Didn't know they spread. I guess it just depends on where you live! Evening Primrose. 20+Cottage Garden Plants & Flowers. I wanted to plant a big tree but our old sewer line would be below it. But is it invasive like mint and will it take over the garden? Zone 7B people pull into our drive all the time to tell me how beautiful my Gardens are. Hello Kristen - Liked the article. We live in Zone 5 (about an hour West of Chicago) and many of the flowers you named (Daisies, Holly Hocks) are difficult to grow here. Cut Flowers$100 Cut Flower Garden Update Yes, it replants its self and also the birds spread the seeds some but that is not a problem. However, this year I did have black-eyed Susans take over the area south of my house where we cut down trees last fall. The answer is yes, it can be! May be bothered by thrips, which are best treated with insecticidal soap or neem oil. A swamp! And clover is wonderful for pollinators!!!! Many of these plants attract pollinators very nicely, and are doing a huge service environmentally speaking. While it works great for ground cover in a shaded area, you will never, ever get rid of it. Pulling them out is not the answer.those roots are already traveling!! In year two, the plant maintains its compact mounding habit but . We gardeners mostly learn by trial and error. I had them all dug up except for under the front window and out grass in. Preemergents is brilliant! Trim after flowering to neaten . You can also propagate through cuttings taken in spring. For android, search for app called, "Google Goggles". It is very bright and cheery but definitely needs work to contain. Oh my, They spread by a vinelike root and have overtaken my perennial beds. I have mint in parts of my lawn and quite frankly, I love it.? All of my kitties have since passed away, but Im STILL digging out catmint that totally took over 2 of my gardens! This should only be used where it is not an issue to contaminate the soil. My sister always loved lily of the valley and had a shady area she just let it take over and it smelled and looked lovely too. It adds freshness and spring-like beauty to the fall garden. I absolutely did not plant it The root is too long and deep to dig it out. I do hope the beginning gardeners reading this post will at least try growing a rose or two. Trees 100 feet tall had ivy with trunks 6 in diameter that completely engulfed the trees. Especially over winter creeper and constantly pulling up bindweed. Common name: Catmint. So it will get in under fascia and soffits, travel into lofts looking for light and then send shoots back out again under the apex of roofs. The ones that just grow in a shrub on the ground with little lilly flowersI planted two about 6 years ago in our first houseafter pulling them out and spraying them, they've come back multiple times and are just spreading and spreading.. My big mistake was Salvia Coccinea, or Coral Nymph Salvia, one of the Texas Salvias. I hate her for it. Thank you for your insight!! I've tried a dozen times to transplant them 400 miles south to my garden and they seldom make it or at best last a couple of anemic years in my heavy clay. I've had to battle several of the listed plants in my Zone 7 gardens, but the worst two were Chameleon Plant (Houttonyia cordata) and goutweed (a/k/a/ Bishops weed.) Some you can't get rid of when you try and those are really the ones to avoid. 5. Terrible plant. From what Ive read, only digging very deeply, cutting it and pouring boiling water on it works. I have read from others they are low maintenance, and have a very high resistance to diseases. So s you say to each his own. To everyone outside of Zone 3, enjoy your Zone 4A+ privilege. Most of us dont want to play with you. I was reading & thinking.this must be an article for non-gardeners. Enjoy what you have. I kind of want them to spread so I'll have some to share. Its billowing foliage is topped with spikes of flowers in early summer . Find a Garden Center that carries Proven Winners plants & products. I have just over 60 potted plants in my yard. Red roses and catmint are a classic combination, but equally attractive red-flowered companions include Veronica spicata 'Red Fox', Monarda didyma 'Pardon My Cerise', and red valerian (Centranthus ruber). I love all plants, well maybe not all, but I am a lot more careful what I plant here in the south. Good to know about killing off mint and daisy! However, I had decent luck keeping them under control after I dug most of them up. Besides Virginia Creeper, I cannot think of a single one of these other ones I would give up in my gardens.so not understand this article at all!!! In theory, if you are comfortable using chemicals in your yard, you could use round up on them with a paint brush. The only reason I ranked the thistle as worse is because it's even harder to remove the root system. Ugh, spearmint--my condolences to your garden! Do you have a local gardening group? They are fighting with wheatgrass and winning in Quebec. If you don't want to grow anything in that area, you can smother the area with cardboard or landscape fabric and 4 inches of mulch. I finally got talked into more expensive bird seed. But all species of catmint are fragrant, and this is a turn-on for bees and some other insects. It should be illegal to sell that stuff. If I remember correctly it is claimed to not alter the nutritional value of the seed for the birds, just sterilizes the seed so it won't germinate. But I dont recommend it if youre brand new to gardening, as you likely will not remember to bring them in for the winter. It wasn't long & they were everywhere. Some of the catmints can reseed themselves readily and can become weedy in that way, but there are some . I have found websites with info for growing raspberries and containing them, but unless one is crazy about them, after my experience, I would advise people against them. If you love gardening, you can rejoice in the beautiful flowers all these plants provide you with. Probably gout weed, lily of the valley, and bellflowers are your best bet. You should also start adding some compost to those patches of soil (once you've weeded them). And so on. If a plant has mint in its name, chances are it's super invasive. I'm pretty sure I didn't plant anything from your list! I think people should grow whatever appeals to them and keep in mind that some of these plants will grow when all others will not. Seeds can stay dormant forever and it also spreads by carrot looking tubers. Ivy is the worst thing to plant near a tree or a building. This post is meant to be more of an opinion post and a bit tongue in cheek. A great solution for ground cover in a shaded area until it takes over in 5 years. She also has a few of my other invasive perennials. I have been digging the orange daylillies( that have taken over my other daylillies) for atleast 5 years! We moved from Ottawa to Woodstock, Ontario last year in September, and I discovered in the spring that the previous owners had planted wild raspberries in the back corner of the yard, and had allowed it to get out of control. I'm at a weird point in my life that I can't part with the weeds that are strong enough Kindly additionally talk over with my site =). I hope people arent influenced against some of these plants, just in order to keep down maintenance in the garden. I suspect some of my nuisance plants wouldnt even grow in your zone. NEVER buy it. Any new gardener that plants any of these plants will soon hate gardening. Too late. She only clipped the weeds shorter than the flowers, never removed anything..lol, Catherine, we love the flowers-nature-gods gifts, as much as anyone, but it can take over your design when a plant takes over the garden and your plan. Oh no! I know I cant dig that much that fast and my landscaper refuses to do it. Its perfectly okay to not have time to maintain tight lines, or have a small yard, or dislike a natural look, or be a lazy gardener. (Where I'm from tends to have really good soil, so some of the plants listed here aren't as big of nuisances in other areas.) Unless you want it as your lawn or have a horse to feed, dont plant it. In Wisconsin, the orange are called ditch lillies because they are usually found growing wild along road sides. They planted vinca minor, st.john's wort and then vinca major!!! We love them. ? It doesnt matter if youre going to put it in a south-facing spot right against the house It will die. What varieties of day lilies do you grow? I will be planting them in the spring. Do not plant English Ivy. They can also do searches for plants that do well in their zone and their soil conditions, as well as light requirements. It grows to a height of three feet and bears few white blooms. Wish someone had warned me. The roots travel just below the surface, so, unfortunately, chemicals are the only way to get them under control. Required fields are marked *. I live on rural acreage, and need something besides weeds and grass in the fields!! Its highly invasive and you literally have to burn it out to get rid of it. My concern about the advice here is that many people will be discouraged to try incorporating stunning perennials that may or may not be invasive in their soil/climate. I never knew people actually planted Virginia Creeper on purpose! I was shocked. Please include morning glories. Its a lively exchange between gardeners.She warmly agrees that the plants she finds invasive might not seem that way to others. I find them attractive even when they are not in bloom. I would never plant lamium as I've had it take over areas I've not yet gotten to. That is just one example. No mention of clematis or spiderwort. To avoid this, you can plant the herb in a container and then bury it near catnip companion plants. You are right. The seeds will germinate in it. Faassen who developed the first hybrids. I have quite a big garden and that is my problem. Beautiful flowers but the vine is impossible to keep under control. All my favorites listed here. The second one is Ivy. I'm so glad you found this post useful. I planted them 1 year from seeds and the next year transplant them to another area of my garden bc I wanted to do something different (which it didnt survive).. but mid summer they came back in the original spot hogging the sun from everything I put in its spot. . What is it with plants labeled "Canada" for invasiveness? We can't grow that ivy well in my hardiness zone, so I've always admired buildings with it. Great tips! I'm with you on this one. Roses present a challenge but also can provide many potential rewards. It sounds like the mint is in a confined area, so it should be okay. Vinca vine loves to grow under evergreens at least in Minnesota. Pretty accurate. I happen to be one of those who like invaders. 4 - 9. Not fun getting it back so I can plant sun-loving plants to replace the shade-lovers that I moved. I had originally planted it because it looked leafy & healthy. Bees love sunflowers, beebalm, and really any flower that is yellow, purple, or blue. In other areas these perennials aren't problems at all. But, thanks to you, I know more about what to plant where I want lots of color and what to plant in containers. As a head gardener for many years in Scotland I find it hard to understand your reasoning on invasive plants! Maybe call your local University Extension, Master Gardener Office they will advise you. If I had my druthers I would love to do the main part of the lawn in irish moss as groundcover (yeah, here it takes off I've heard but its short and pretty enough to just be a soft short carpet) with a meandering path of flagstone and small to medium sized beds of color - mostly perrenials - here and there along the pathsa bench with an arbor ( and a flowering vining plant) over it and bubbler nearby off in one corner. Mint, oh my god the mint! Mint does get it's own secluded spot as we even had it spread in the Las Vegas desert!!! When I wrote this post I had the inexperienced gardener who wouldn't be as likely to keep up with their weeding and garden maintenance in mind. If you're in zone 2 or 3, I have another post about what will grow here that's really nice. I love daylilies. Unlike its close relative catnip (both are members of the mint family), catmint is better behaved and much showier. Bell Flower was here when i moved in over 12 years ago. I have zero dirt to plant anything in so I have to have everything in pots. You still need to deadhead to prevent reseeding. Seed StartingThe Best Grow Lights for Seedlings (From Budget to Bougie), Shifting Roots Essential Gardening Supplies, The Best Grow Lights for Seedlings (From Budget to Bougie), 2023 Shifting Roots. PS tried in northern Alberta and the Okanagan. We finally put bricks around the feeders and filled in between them with a concrete filler. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. LOL! I have a home in zone 3, and my 20' x 10' patch under my pine and dogwood trees was the same size 20 years ago. Love Sweet Mint and we use a lot in our sweet tea. It doesn't matter what some random-person-on-the-internet says. Thanks for a great article. I always wanted drifts of Alaska daisies I finally got my dream that after growing them from seed lovingly caring for them watched them in just A few years take over my yard and my life with dead heading thousands of bunches that just seemed to appear over night one Spring ?wouldn't you know it was at the same time I had major surgery and medical problems going on so all I could do is enjoy the beauty of my dream! I qualify for three of these four. forgot the self seeding. I'd love to know how your perennials do this year. What zone are you in? From early summer into early fall, the foliage is topped with well-branched stems . We had cats, and I planted one catmint plants. It was specifically created in 1978 for the harsh Canadian Winters (Zone 3). I have a plant in the house and the branches are now about 2 feet long. From what I have seen in my neighborhood (I live in a tall pine forest in the sierra nevadas of northern california) grass doesnt do well at all, mosses do do pretty well though.and those ferns talked about. I also can't make daisies grow. Often clients have us dig it all out after a few years of being annoyed by it growing into everything else. Once they are established they produce so many blooms on one plant that they bloom for weeks. A true Nightmare! I wonder if it would spread as much as the white variety? I don't think these "wild" orange daylilies are daylilies at all. It was sold to me as an Aster plant which I love! Also, thanks for mentioning your zone and location. Perfect! Anenomes are my enemy!!! It is low growing, keeps in it's place well, and if it grows a baby someone always wants it for their own yard. Hi, I loved your article. For something to take over in only one year is really terrible!! Tons of blooms. Chameleon plant -hoyttunia - gets my vote too!! Oops! We are in SE Wisconsin. I planted most of those invasive plants and then some (Lamb's Ears, Hops vine , also invasive, and other plants that were given to me over the years). When a plants other name is Speedwell, you know its going to overtake your garden in short order. My mint is excessive, but I drink lemon mint water daily in summer. I agree, I have Shasta Daisy's and they have been growing for about 8 years. They all grow in gravel areas that have no irrigation. The worst is yucca!! Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes and fun gardening projects, all from just outside the city of Saskatoon, SK, Canada. Last year we took the last few bits, soaked everything in vinager & laid down thick pieces of cardboard, rug and plywood with rocks on top. So, I guess I'll find out if it's true they are hardy and maintenance-free this spring (5 months from now), as I did absolutely nothing last fall. 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