But I thought this label actually summed it up quite well, and yes, even I admit the plant is sometimes useful. On the north side of my parents house, where it is corralled, can't escape and it doesn't turn crispy brown in the summer, for example.
Oh and yes, I did win the battle, eventually.
Weather Diary, June 5: Hi 67, Low 56/ Precip trace
All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
Good tag! Bishops Weed looks so harmless... I can think of a few more ground covers that should come with a warning. Whenever I see "vigorous" written on a tag, I put a plant down. I can take a hint.
ReplyDeleteOf course there's also the climate factor. What can be vigorous in one part of the world won't survive the season in another.
DeleteOMG, Identify with this! Shudder every time I see Vinca minor in a nursery, "The Blob" of groundcovers. (AKA Creeping Myrtle, or as we call it in Texas, Creeping Murder.) That stuff is sentient; it will reach up & trip you as you go by. Smothers & chokes out all other plants. Inherited it with a house I purchased. Ten years later, I was still digging that stuff up. Agreed, these types need label warnings!
ReplyDeleteOH! I had some vinca too, but luckily managed to take that out fairly easily. I've heard other stories about it.
DeleteDefinitely a gardener's nightmare. Glad to see the labeling, though I'd prefer they opted not to sell it at all. Houttuynia cordata is my nemesis - god, I hate that plant!
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I had to look up Houttuynia cordata. I've seen it in nurseries but never grown it. Good to know!
DeleteAt Joy Creek we try never to carry anything that is invasive but if you must, this is a sort of responsible way to do it.
ReplyDeleterickii
I was all ready to get fired up when I saw this, but calmed down when I read the tag.
DeleteVery true--sometimes a thug is the answer. (Most of the time its the wrong answer)
ReplyDeleteI was horrified to see Equisetum hyemale for sale at Home Cheapo recently. There's a reason it has been around for more than 350 million years.
"Most of the time its the wrong answer"...good one.
DeleteThat's a great tag. I'm frequently amazed by the invasive plants reputable garden centers offer without any warning whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteThey're really doing a disservice to their clients.
DeleteMe, too. Came with the house and I still have two spots where I battle it. I also think the same tag should be on lamium. I think I originally planted 3, 4" pots and it has taken over my garden!
ReplyDeleteLamium huh? Good to know.
DeleteIf you have a mature patch, there is no way to dig it out. A defoliant will do the job.
ReplyDeleteActually I did dig out a very mature patch. All it took was time and then diligence when a new sprig appeared.
DeleteExcellent information - from both you and the tag. That information is so incredibly important for plants like this - we try to warn people at Joy Creek if we sell anything that is considered a thug. Some people still want the thugs, though...crazy. And NO WAY, we don't sell this stuff, by the way. :)
ReplyDelete"Some people still want the thugs, though"...I wonder if they want them because they'll cover the ground and they won't have to do anything, or because they don't believe they'll really take over?
DeleteThey think they know best and don't believe us. And some do want a "takeover" plant so they have "less work"...think again, people who buy thugs. It doesn't work that way.
DeleteI feel that way about autumn clematis and garlic chives. Hate seeing them for sale. I have not yet won the battle against either of them especially this year with all the rain. ~~Dee
ReplyDeleteI think that clematis is one we inherited as well. Nasty beast!
DeleteThink before planting? What sort of thinking is that? Doing so would save gardeners from endless hours of back breaking labor in their gardens erradicating out of control plants. (Ask me about my bamboo...) Don't gardeners love to be outside working in their gardens? Thinking before planting would take away all that fun.
ReplyDeleteI have Aegapodium in a spot in my front yard and it doesn't seem to be spreading beyond its bounds. Likely this is due to no summer water. I can't tell you how many times I didn't think before planting.
ReplyDeleteI hope people bother to read the labels. Though i have to say in my garden the Aegopodium is not such a pest.
ReplyDeleteIt all depends on where you live. Plants that are fine in one climate are nightmares in another. Too much water and prairie natives become thugs that strangle local natives, too cold and very iffy plants become meek little beauties. Not that I would try this one, the label reads like a spell from harry potter.
ReplyDelete