Master gardener shares urgent warning about ‘aggressive’ plants you should avoid – they can take over your outside space
A MASTER gardener has issued a warning about the plants you should avoid putting into your backyard.
While many of them might look pretty and add a much-needed splash of colour, the pro said that they run the risk of totally overruning your garden and can become “aggressive.”
Joanna VonBergen, who describes herself as a “master gardener”, llifted the lid on the 14 plants she would ban from all gardens.
And she broke each one down, giving a detailed explanation on her reasonings.
She explained: “These are plants that I’ve had experience with or my gardening friends have had experience with.
“Some are invasive or aggressive spreaders and some just take up a lot of space when there are more attractive perennials that could be living in your garden instead.”
Up first, Joanna highlighted snow-on-the-mountain, saying it “wins first prize of the worst plants to grow in your yard.”
She continued in her blog post on her website Gingham Gardens: “I know hate is a pretty strong emotion when we’re talking about plants, but if you’ve ever tried to eradicate this “weed” from your garden, you know exactly what I mean.
“Snow-on-the-Mountain is so invasive and it spreads by underground runners. I worked for probably 3 gardening seasons eradicating it from my shade garden. Do not let this beauty fool you.”
Joanna had equally strong feelings about “gorgeous” ostrich ferns.
She said they may look nice but “will take over wherever you put them.”
The only exception to this, she said, was if you have a damp wodded area where you don’t want anything else to grow. Otherwise, they should remain out of your outside space.
Up next, Joanna warned people against planting tansy.
She explained: “In addition to being invasive, the oils in tansy are highly toxic so be sure to wear gloves when handling it.”
Some are invasive or aggressive spreaders and some just take up a lot of space
Joanna VonBergen
And she had harsh words for the creeping bellflower – which is also known as campanula rapunculoides.
She revealed: “There are many, many varieties of campanula and lots of them are very well behaved.
“Creeping Bellflower is not one of them. It is like the thug of a flower garden.”
The list also included other “invasive” plants such as ox-eye daisies and ribbon grass.
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Joanna then moved onto the plants that weren’t necessarily invasive but are “definitely aggressive” so therefore cause issues for gardeners.
The first of those “not worth their trouble” was the lily-of-the-valley, which she described as “naughty spreaders.”
Joanna then branded common orange ditch lilies are her “least favourite flower” due to them crowding out other plants.
While crocosmia, anemone, lamb’s ear, blue lobelia and the royal standard hosta were also on her personal banned list after years of trouble with them.
It is like the thug of a flower garden
Joanna VonBergen
And her final word of warning was against the ironically called obedient plants.
Joanna revealed: “When I first saw this plant in a catalog, I fell in love, it’s so pretty.
“Holy cow, I quickly fell out of love. This was not the plant for my tidy flower garden.
“It spread by underground rhizomes and was anything but obedient. It even spread to the neighbour’s yard.”
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