Was thinking it'd be nice to have a quick reference for plants/trees/grasses that you wish you'd never met or used in your landscape (specifically because they became invasive) as I embark on creating a masterpiece of my own. :)
I'll keep top-posting to this first one listing the plants that have become invasive for you and each vote it gets thereafter I'll add in the complaint associated with it for easy reference.
I'm sure Burmuda grass will top the list :)
Apple Mint *The apple mint will escape and spread even from a container! I lost a very large herb garden to it.
Asiatic Jasmine *You can add that Asian Jasmine to my list also. I have neighbors who put a bed of it against our common fence. I'm pulling that stuff out of my beds at least weekly.
Asparagus Fern *Dislike that it is prickly and also can spread by runners, kept in a pot is the best solution.
Beautyberry
Bermuda grass
Black & Blue Salvia *I will be pulling out runners of this stuff for as long as I live in this house. It's the worst thing I've ever encountered and way worse than any mint I've ever had. I can't balme this one on anyone else because I planted it. Well, maybe I can blame the Chronicle gaden writer because it was mentioned there that it was a great salvia for Houston, so I bought it.
Cardinal Climber *I have left town for 6 days and this one has sprouted and literally choked good 2.5' pepper plants. I hate it the very worst of all...thank goodness it does freeze to death in the winter--its only redeemable quality in my eyes. *Had the cardinal vine before, and won't ever again!
Chinese Tallow tree *That's gotta be the number one invasive species of the Gulf coast prairies
English Ivy *I had a home where the ivy had grown up a huge sweetgum tree. The "stems" on the ivy were hard wood, not soft stem, and some of them were easily 5" in diameter. It was definitely ivy on steroids! Of course, I have no idea how long it had been growing there. There were runners from it all over the 2 acre yard.
Evening Primrose
Hackberry Tree *invasive seedlings
(native) Honeysuckle
JAPANESE HONEYSUCKLE. Yes, I know all-caps means I'm yelling. I had a landscaper decide that a bit of Japanese Honeysuckle was just what I needed as a cascading ground cover down a rock-rimmed terraced embankment. I spent the next four years pulling honeysuckle and cursing the guy's ancestors - I didn't get it all out after four years - sold the house instead. The honeysuckle wasn't the reason, but it did make it easier to walk away...*Still have some that comes over the fence from the neighbors'. GRRRR
Kudzu Vine (weed)*It's a vine that was originally planted to help control erosion. It climbs over EVERYTHING, on everything, up everything choking out any kind of life. We see it a lot when we go to TN. It's everywhere. *Kudzu is in Arkansas and this part of east TX. It has a vine that endures heat and drought with a beautiful fragrant (koolaid grape) bloom that sucks people in to taking cuttings and replanting... then, it consumes you. Nasty stuff. But again, probably a weed and worth mention but not a "plant" that is often added to the landscape.
Magenta Spreen *from a round up 3 years ago--because I was told it was edible (tastes not good to me), and I never let it get over 1.5' high--I'm still pulling seedlings from the front garden. Its easy to pull, but I'm tired of doing it still...
Mexican Petunia (not the dwarf) *Spreads by underground runners. I planted some in a bed 4 years ago, dug it out the next year and I'm still finding a few sprouts every now and then! http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/38189/
Mimosa
Morning Glory *native purple variety, its an invasive weed and chokes out other things--I hate it
Nut Grass or Nut Sedge *That stuff is misery to get rid of. It got started in my iris bed and I was quick enough in getting it out and wound up having to dig up the whole bed to get all the runners out of it. My iris aren't going to bloom this year because of that stuff. It was even growing into the rhizomes in some places. Bad stuff.
Passion Vines *I won't plant passion vines of any kind either--but at least it only took me one season after I removed it to eradicate it all, so memory tends to fade on those mistakes. But that is just my opinion--I don't like it. *I had 5 or 6 years ago was invasive. It came up everywhere, and I've just this last year gotten rid of the last of it. I think they're beautiful, but not if they won't stay put!
Porterweed (note this is NOT butterfly weed) *for the butterflies 7 years ago--I'm still pulling seedlings up all over the back gardens. Its easy to pull but I'm tired of doing it still...
Privet 'Ligustrum japonicum' *My neighbor's on both sides have the privet and they are constantly dropping their seeds in my yard. I even volunteered two years to cut back the ones in one neighbor's yard, just to avoid the mess. The birds feed on both and distribute the seeds too. *I agree with the privet, we've been in this house 25 years, and never had any, and as far as I know the neighbors don't either. Don't know where the birds are getting the seeds
Redbud
Sweetgum Tree *Ho-ly CRAP I hate those things!! They don't provide enough shade to make themselves useful. They drop those dad-gum spikey balls EVERYwhere, which are hard to rake up and DO NOT BURN! They're full of seeds which sprout wherever they land. I hate them!!! I want everyone on my property GONE!**And I have to agree with you about the Sweet Gum, although they are beautiful in the fall. And for a problem with the Sweet Gum which you didn't mention, look at the roots (above ground)
Wisteria
This message was edited May 3, 2009 4:33 AM
Curse of the (fill in the blank)....
biggest mistakes I ever made as far as plants go (I'm sure I'll think of a few more later):
1. planted a bay tree too close to the house--they get HUGE down here. It's under control now, but only because I had the fence guys hack it back to almost nothing. it looks nice now and provides plenty of bay leaves.
2. planting porterweed for the butterflies 7 years ago--I'm still pulling seedlings up all over the back gardens. Its easy to pull but I'm tired of doing it still....
3. planting magenta spreen from a round up 3 years ago--because I was told it was edible (tastes not good to me), and I never let it get over 1.5' high--I'm still pulling seedlings from the front garden. Its easy to pull, but I'm tired of doing it still....
things I never planted but someone (and if I could figure out who--I'd sure let them know how I feel about it) within wind distance has--and these two are the most invasive seedlings that I'm constantly battling--both will come up thru 8-10" of mulch even:
1. that native purple morning glory (I know I'll hear it about that one but I don't care--its an invasive weed and chokes out other things--I hate it)
2.and this one takes the cake for being absolutely the worst one--cardinal climber (another Ipomea--straight from hell). I have left town for 6 days and this one has sprouted and literally choked good 2.5' pepper plants. I hate it the very worst of all....
while bermuda grass and nut grass can be annoying, I can control them, for the most part (or destroy them as in the case of bermuda)..they don't hold a candle compared to cardinal climber. I have never seen bermuda grass literally choke other plants in 6 days like cardinal climber.
I haven't seen any cardinal climber yet this year (thank goodness it does freeze to death in the winter--its only redeemable quality in my eyes) but I have seen the native one and am yanking every one I see--I can now recognize these as soon as they have 2 leaves--lol
I'll step down off my invasive plants soap box now....
=)
Bermuda grass is nothing compared to apple mint, showy evening primrose, and Asiatic jasmine. I am giving away all I can with warnings attached and using RoundUp and/or Brush Be Gone on the rest.
I'm corraling the apple mint in a container--consider me warned Patricia--lol
=)
The apple mint will escape and spread! I consider you warned. I lost a very large herb garden to it, but this year is the showdown. I will win!!! But it smells so good.....
I actually killed what I had in a container of it before--it was late summer humidity and my lack of watering I'm sure....
=)
maybe I should put it in a hanging basket (can it fly?) or out in the hell strip (can it jump a 3 foot sidewalk?)--it'll die from lack of rain out there in July-Sept--lol
My most hated for taking over the garden are Privet 'Ligustrum japonicum' and Hackberry Tree. My neighbor's on both sides have the privet and they are constantly dropping their seeds in my yard. I even volunteered two years to cut back the ones in one neighbor's yard, just to avoid the mess. The birds feed on both and distribute the seeds too.
Well, my number one pest would have to be Black & Blue Salvia. I will be pulling out runners of this stuff for as long as I live in this house. It's the worst thing I've ever encountered and way worse than any mint I've ever had. I can't balme this one on anyone else because I planted it. Well, maybe I can blame the Chronicle gaden writer because it was mentioned there that it was a great salvia for Houston, so I bought it. My number 2 & 3 choices for the list would be wisteria and English Ivy. I had a home where the ivy had grown up a huge sweetgum tree. The "stems" on the ivy were hard wood, not soft stem, and some of them were easily 5" in diameter. It was definitely ivy on steroids! Of course, I have no idea how long it had been growing there. There were runners from it all over the 2 acre yard. You can add that Asian Jasmine to my list also. I have neighbors who put a bed of it against our common fence. I'm pulling that stuff out of my beds at least weekly. The only one that causes me nightmares is the salvia though. Oh, my porterweed hasn't spread. I'm not sure why, but both of mine don't appear to have cast little seedling at all. Maybe my heavy mulch???
Crow
I have very heavy mulch crow (8-10")--the seeds on porterweed are very tiny, like on cardinal climber.
Don't forget your warning to me Crow about the Asparagus Fern that was once in my yard (by the other homeowners!) I did pull them out (ouch! prickles!) but none have popped up :)
Sweet, I figured ya'll would be downers on Bermuda but yes, I find grasses easier to uproot in a bed than constant weeds.
A tree in poor taste to me is the Chinaberry. I let my landscape go to pot for a year and (kid you not!) a Chinaberry seedling found it's way into a bed. Well I chose to ignore it and see how it went (lack of sleep and time on my part makes for one unhappy gardener). In ONE YEAR that seedling of a tree was almost 2 INCHES in diameter and it stood waist high on me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course I've since removed it and tended my yard better, ripping out all the other owners had but still---I've never seen a "tree" grow that fast.
I really am disappointed they are so common in Houston but at least I can pick out the occassional tree seedling.
Going to top-post your reviews above---instead of asterisks I'm going to list a brief complaint made on each. Thanks!
Uh oh, is porterweed the same as butterfly weed? I've just planted some. I agree with the privet, we've been in this house 25 years, and never had any, and as far as I know the neighbors don't either. Don't know where the birds are getting the seeds. Also some vine I don't know the name of, that must travel underground. Beautifully shaped leaves, glossy and dark green, and has black shiny berries later in the fall. You can pull it up from the ground, but never get the root.
Can anyone ID that vine above?
And is porterweed the same as butterfly weed? I only have heard of butterfly bush, the same???
And hey! If you are giving away invasives with a disclosure warning no one wins! ;)
Is it called Asiatic Jasmine or Asian Jasmine?
If ya'll would post these reviews to PF to that'd be sweet! Or post a link to the specific plant you are talking about? If you have time that is :) You'll help save all our gardens.
Porterweed is not the same as what most of you call butterfly weed--that's the problem with common names.
This is porterweed:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/203535/
what most of you think of butterfly week is:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/wildseed/21/21.4.html
cardinal climber is this:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/662/
native morning glory is this:
http://www.texasstar.org/index.php?pg=morning-glory&sec=51
edited to add--trust me, my opinion of cardinal climber has been in plantfiles
This message was edited Mar 22, 2009 10:11 AM
Butterfly weed is NOT the same as porterweed, thank goodness. I have to confess that I have asian jasmine, but it's in total shade, and is easily kept corraled by the weedeater. Had the cardinal vine before, and won't ever again! I know it won't be a popular stance, but the passionflower I had 5 or 6 years ago was invasive. It came up everywhere, and I've just this last year gotten rid of the last of it. I think they're beautiful, but not if they won't stay put!
I won't plant passion vines of any kind either--but at least it only took me one season after I removed it to eradicate it all, so memory tends to fade on those mistakes. But that is just my opinion--I don't like it.
Between the house behind us and ours are a bunch of "telephone" or whatever lines and the birds perch on these lines. Everything they have eaten comes down into the flower bed which stretches the width of the back yard. I get everything that's grown within 20 miles of us. The worst are the tree seeds. One, I think, is that hackberry but there are all kinds of oaks, too. Do you realize how deep those roots go once those demons get watered in and fertilized because you didn't know they were there in the first place. There's one in particular that I am fighting and I WILL WIN! Those same birds planted my confederate rose so ....... That thing is beautiful!
Ann
Luckily--out here where I am, there are no Chinese Tallow trees. That's gotta be the number one invasive species of the Gulf coast prairies. But they are all over the older parts of town.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_tallow
Off to do some planting since we are finally done cleaning up and hauling wood from our trellis and fence projects over the last 2 days--I am tired!
Tall Mexican Petunia. Spreads by underground runners. I planted some in a bed 4 years ago, dug it out the next year and I'm still finding a few sprouts every now and then! http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/38189/
The neighbor caddy-corner behind us has that god-awful English Ivy growing on their fence and it's now in the back corner of our yard. I might have to use Round up on it, eventho I'm totally against chemicals.
I've heard of the phrase "butterfly weed" applied to almost any milkweed. Many nurseries use it for Asclepias curassavica, since Asclepias tuberosa is seldom sold in Texas nurseries. Some even mislabel, selling Asclepias curassavica and putting Asclepias tuberosa on the sign or label.
Oh, the passionflower vines...I don't care that they spread, I like them and so do the butterflies!
One big one I forgot to mention is nut grass or nut sedge. That stuff is misery to get rid of. It got started in my iris bed and I was quick enough in getting it out and wound up having to dig up the whole bed to get all the runners out of it. My iris aren't going to bloom this year because of that stuff. It was even growing into the rhizomes in some places. Bad stuff.
And Tir, you're right about that asparagus fern. It has those little bulb things on the underground runners and even if you pull up part of it, the other little bulb thingies sprout. It came up volunteer because the birds eat the red berries and then distribute them for everyone. Only way I finally got rid of it was I moved!
Crow
Step, I'm with you on the ruellia; I've refused to ever allow it here. But seedlings of it pop up from time to time, windblown from neighbor's--horrid stuff. And I'm thankful neither of my two neighbors have discovered that ivy--it only belongs in the esplanade's in my opinion. And I avoid anything they plant in those too.
Ya'll are just most excellant! This list will be so helpful when I'm out shopping at a nursery!!!!!! And thanks to all who've provided quick PF's links!
Well, if you're going to include weeds...I second the nutgrass, but my current nemesis is
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=POAN
MSMA will get rid of it, but about 1/3 of our yard is St. Augustine, which has spread from the neighbors and taken over the bermuda. I'm to the point where I'll kill the St. Augustine and throw out bermuda seed. The poa annua (sp?) has seeds, and they also end up in my flowerbeds.
Pros and cons of grasses might be another good thread!
don't forget that native dayflower that folks think is so "cute"--that one is also a big pest and harder than nutgrass, in my opinion. Nutgrass tends not to like my really rich soil, but that day flower sure does. I'll find a link for it later.
When I put that kind of dayflowers in my yard, it never did become a problem. One advantage to living in these hills is that many such plants just aren't that happy here that they will spread all over. The exception that comes to mind is Straggler Daisy/Horseherb, which I call Strangler Daisy!
This message was edited Mar 22, 2009 4:45 PM
Here's a fun cross-thread: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/964723/ If you see any invasives they mention we might suffer from let me know, I got through only the first part so far---what is kudzu? Sounds scary. :)
Reminds me, won't add this to the top post because it's really a weed not a plant you'd install ;).....
HOW do we get rid of those annoying wild onion weeds????? I've never seen them before moving to this house/area. But DH will mow and the lawn looks short still but in only a FEW days we'll have 6" high green stems with tiny white flowers on them, try to pull one up likely won't get the rootbulb out to and the lawn is just littered with this "wild onion" weed.
We've used regular weed killers and it's no effect on them.
the annoying wild onions are actually native Tx bulbs--they will die back on their own in about a month--short season on those--like Herbertia lahue
Kudzu is HORRIBLE!! It's a vine that was originally planted to help control erosion. It climbs over EVERYTHING, on everything, up everything choking out any kind of life. We see it a lot when we go to TN. It's everywhere.
They only bloom when they get rained on or watered, in my experience. The recent rains probably brought them to life.
Kudzu is in Arkansas and this part of east TX. It has a vine that endures heat and drought with a beautiful fragrant (koolaid grape) bloom that sucks people in to taking cuttings and replanting.... then, it consumes you. Nasty stuff. But again, probably a weed and worth mention but not a "plant" that is often added to the landscape.
Thanks all. Yes, I've been undecided as to whether to include weed names above or not. I added a disclaimer to the Kudzu that it IS a weed, thanks podster.
Yes those wild onions might be short lived but they still are ugly any time of year ;)
Do the wild onions smell like onion when you mow?
yep!
Add variegated mugwart/ limelight artimisia http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/48861/ to your list. I new it was invasive when I planted it, but uggg It turned out far more evil then I bargained for!!!
Liriope, monkey grass, mondo grass... all one and the same, invasive!
Take your pick... http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/search.php?q=liriope
This message was edited Mar 23, 2009 9:29 AM