7 PRETTY PLANT PURCHASES YOU MAY REGRET

This is a warning that sometimes things are not always what they seem. That sweet little plant that you bought on impulse because it looked attractive may turn out to have been not such a good idea after all. There are certain plants commonly known as thugs or even invasives which may start small, but then rapidly develop into something that you did not expect or intend. And the trouble is that while they are easy to introduce into your garden they may turn out to be the very devil to eradicate. So to warn you in advance about seven of these unruly characters read this article which I found over on the Hometalk website.

Not every plant that you find in the garden center or nursery this spring is a good choice for your garden. Garden retailers often sell plants that many consider problematic or invasive.
Why do they sell them then? Well, gardeners often disagree on what constitutes a ?problem?. I happen to think that Goutweed is pure evil, but I know at least one friend who thinks it has nice variegated foliage and likes to have it in his garden.
For me a problem plant is not just invasive, it is also one that is hard to remove where unwanted. Aggressive spreaders like Goutweed send out roots that spread underground. Eradicating it is next to impossible. Any of the white root segments that remain in the soil after you remove the surface plant are capable of producing a new plant.
Other plants like the False Lamium (see below) send out runners above the ground that take root and create offshoot plants.The runners shoot off in all directions and it too is hard to get rid of.
To avoid issues with invasive plants, here are a few suggestions:
Generally, it is a good idea to be suspicious of plants with the word ?weed? incorporated in their common name. ?Goutweed? would be one of them.
Ask nursery or garden centre staff for a reference. If you are considering an unfamiliar plant, ask staff if the plant is in any way aggressive or invasive. Most well-trained staff will warn you off problem plants.

Lily of the Valley! Yes, the flowers are sweet and the fragrance is divine, but it spreads like wild fire. I have it in the back garden in a shady flowerbed under a tree. It can only go so far in this particular bed and is not a concern. On the other hand, it is a huge problem elsewhere. It was in the front garden when we bought the house and spreads by an underground root system. Lily of the Valley crowds my other plants into extinction. Getting rid of Lily of the Valley, where unwanted, has proven to be next to impossible!