Chives, mint or loosestrife choking your garden? Don’t fall prey to another plant thug

Garden catalogs are flooding our mailboxes, packed full of new and improved plants. Colorful photography and enticing descriptions fill our heads with ideas. Before completing the order or clicking “add to cart,” it might pay to do some research.

A common gardeners’ mistake is believing the glowing plant descriptions. We have all purchased or been given a start from a friendly garden, soon regretting our decision. You know what I am talking about — a plant that knows no borders and spreads like a weed.

I call these aggressive plants garden thugs, ones we should avoid at all costs.

I will admit my mistakes in planting some of these garden thugs that spread by underground rhizomes or reseeding profusely. gooseneck loosestrife, garlic chives and northern sea oats are just a few. I have eliminated two of these from my garden after spending a couple of summers on my hands and knees armed with a butcher knife. I am still working on the loosestrife.

Luckily, I knew better and never introduced some. Thugs to avoid like the plague include chameleon plant (Houttuynia); mint; bamboo; species of artemisia, like variegated and Silver King; Chinese lantern; and bishop’s goutweed.

While plants like monarda, obedient plant, spiderwort (Tradescantia) and others are pretty, they are no longer welcomed in my garden. I have eliminated planting perennials that spread faster than I have the time or energy to keep in bounds.

It is easy to fall prey to these out-of-control perennials. As novice gardeners, we often don’t really know what words used in the plant descriptions are really communicating. I know to avoid, or do more research, when reading write-ups that include “fills in rapidly,” “aggressive” or “fast-growing.”

I learned to be selective with gift plants from friends. If they have a lot to give away, one should wonder just how aggressively it grows. I am also concerned with tag-along plants. That is what seed or broken piece of rhizome is hiding in the root mass, just waiting for fresh soil to grow uncontrollably.

The lesson here is while many gardeners have never met a plant they did not like, it is also OK to be selective. Before adding a new plant, question the source. Decipher and think what the words in the description really mean. While “quick-growing” and “fills in rapidly” sound appealing, what are behind those terms?

The best plants for the garden are those that know their boundaries, staying in their allotted space, not dispersing seeds or rhizomes to pop up randomly. Most importantly, when we have grown tired of them, they are easily removed, not returning like an unwanted guest.

Please take my lesson to heart and don’t make the same mistake that I have. If you already have, here is to another summer of digging, treating or muttering four-letter words under your breath while enjoying the garden. This will be summer I rid my garden of gooseneck loosestrife.

Well, I can dream.

Dennis Patton is a horticulture agent with Kansas State University Research and Extension. Got a question for him or other university extension experts? Email them to garden.help@jocogov.org.

This story was originally published January 23, 2020 at 2:33 PM.