I’m a gardener – you should think long and hard before inviting 7 ‘volunteer plants’ into your yard forever

AN AVID gardener and influencer has shared which hardy plants come back again and again – whether you want them to or not.

While some plants seem impossible to keep alive, others thrive no matter what you throw at them.

TIKTOK/@parkerpastures

Influencer GrowinChick (@parkerpastures) has shared a video on TikTok identifying which ‘volunteer plants’ will stick around your garden year after year[/caption]

TIKTOK/@parkerpastures

Blue spice basil, pictured here, is one of the influencer’s go-to ‘volunteer plants’[/caption]

TIKTOK/@parkerpastures

‘Volunteer plants’ hibernate during the winter and repopulate your garden every spring, like the ageratum pictured here[/caption]

Being able to tell the difference is important if you would like to sculpt your garden year after year.

There are a few popular “volunteer plants” that every gardener should know about, said GrowinChick (@parkerpastures) in a TikTok video shared last week.

“I’m a huge fan of anything that wants to volunteer in my garden and grow really strong, but there are some signs you need to think about,” she said in the video.

“Like where you are going to plant them and do you want them in your garden – likely, forever.”

She listed several plants that will hibernate during the winter to come back on their own every spring.

“This ginormous thing is a volunteer sunflower,” she said to kick things off while pointing to a towering plant.

“They produce such big seed heads, and the birds love them, so they will drop those seeds everywhere,” she said.

Next, she pointed out her blue spice basil, noting that pollinators love it, and then ageratum.

Ageratum is a “beautiful flower” that attracts “beneficial insects” that “will make its home in your garden anywhere and everywhere that it can,” she said.

“Nasturtiums – you know these are my favorite,” she continued in the clip.

“They produce a lot of flowers, and each one of these flowers gets a seed head,” she said.

“They will drop that over winter and then pop up beautiful in the spring.”

She also mentioned that cucamelons, alyssum, and most flowering herbs like parsley, dill, and cilantro will also regenerate in your garden year after year.

Fans on social media appreciated the tips, leaving almost 1,000 likes and several comments on the video.

“The birds loved [the cucamelons] and I had them popping up EVERYwhere. I love alyssum & nasturtiums,” one person replied.

“Chamomile will also overtake your garden and life,” another added.