Beware of Aggressive Plants ; Without Proper Care, Invasive Plants Can Take Over the Garden

Summary

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The wrong plants can turn a garden paradise into a backyard nightmare. Gardeners should beware of plants described as aggressive creepers, vigorous growers or ones that "re-seed readily." Such plants are not likely to be well behaved. While beautiful and readily available at garden centers, they are just too friendly for the good of other plants in the garden. These aggressive or invasive plants not only don't stay within their intended boundaries, but they often smother out other plants in their search for new territory to invade. Many invasive plants spread by underground stems called rhizomes. Unlike stray plants that sprout up through re- seeding, it is difficult to control rhizome-spreading plants through hoeing or pulling because it's next to impossible to eradicate the entire network of rhizomes. It's not that these plants don't have a place in the garden, but it's important that gardeners are aware of their growth habits and have a plan for controlling them. Among the plants often considered invasive are:

Bishop's Goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria 'variegatum'): Often called Snow-on-the-Mountain, it is a beautiful plant with light green leaves with white margins. However, this aggressive groundcover should be planted in a restricted area, such as between a sidewalk and the house. A solid green variety of this plant is even more aggressive.

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Beware of Aggressive Plants ; Without Proper Care, Invasive Plants Can Take Over the Garden

Chameleon plant (Houttuynia cordata): A beautiful plant with boldly variegated leaves in shades of red, pink, white, green and yellow, it is especially aggressive when pla...

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