10/17/2026
🌿 JUST BECAUSE THEY SELL IT AT THE NURSERY DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD PLANT IT! 🌿
Okay, I'm going to get a little opinionated here! 😎
I was recently at a nursery and saw Snow on the Mountain (Bishop's w**d) for sale for $10.95.
TEN DOLLARS AND NINETY-FIVE CENTS!!!
I nearly died! Then I wanted to strangle someone. 😬
People are actually PAYING MONEY for something we spend countless hours trying to eradicate from gardens!
Now, before anyone gets their feelings hurt, this isn't meant to offend anyone who has these plants growing in their landscape. Some are beautiful, some have been passed down through generations, and some were planted long before we knew what we know today.
This is simply a little wisdom from someone who spends her days working in gardens, removing things that seemed like a great idea at the time!
After years of digging, pulling, cutting, and occasionally cursing, I've developed a personal NO THANK YOU list.
🚫 Bishop's w**d (Snow on the Mountain) — Pretty variegated foliage, but those underground rhizomes travel EVERYWHERE. You think you've gotten it all, and surprise! It's back. And it brought friends.
🚫 English ivy — Looks charming until it's climbing your trees, swallowing your garden beds, and taking over everything in its path.
🚫 Wintercreeper — This one is fresh in my mind! We JUST tackled a client's garden where wintercreeper had taken over the beds and was climbing the trees. Hours of removal, and we know it's not necessarily gone for good. This stuff roots along its stems and requires ongoing attention. What a nightmare!
🚫 Vinca (periwinkle) — That sweet little evergreen groundcover can become a thick carpet that crowds out other plants. Once established, good luck convincing it to stay where you planted it!
🚫 Lily of the valley — Those darling little fragrant bells are lovely, but underground there's an entire operation happening that you didn't authorize! 😩
🚫 Burning bush — Beautiful fall color, I'll give it that. But it's invasive and frequently planted as a foundation shrub where it has absolutely NO BUSINESS being! That cute little bush can grow into an enormous monster that requires constant pruning to keep it from swallowing your windows. READ THE MATURE SIZE!
🚫 Japanese barberry — The color is about the ONLY nice thing I can say about this plant! It's invasive, covered in nasty little thorns, and absolutely miserable to work around. Try w**ding underneath one without getting stabbed repeatedly. I hate it. There, I said it! 😡
🚫 Chameleon plant — Gorgeous foliage, terrible manners. Another underground traveler that can be incredibly difficult to eliminate once established.
🚫 Orange ditch lilies — You know those old-fashioned orange daylilies growing along roadsides? They can spread like wildfire and completely take over a garden bed. Not all daylilies behave this way, but these are ones I'd think twice about introducing!
🚫 Running bamboo — DON'T. YOU. DARE. EVER. NEVER!! 😒 Those underground rhizomes can travel far beyond where you planted them, including into your neighbor's yard. There are different types of bamboo, but running bamboo in a residential garden? NO THANK YOU!
🚫 Trumpet vine — Oh, but the hummingbirds LOVE it! And those beautiful orange flowers! Yes, yes, I know. But plant one in the wrong place and you may spend the rest of your gardening life dealing with shoots popping up where you never invited them. Beautiful plant, terrible manners!
And here's something else worth mentioning...
🌱 NOT ALL NATIVE PLANTS ARE SUITABLE FOR EVERY HOME GARDEN EITHER!
I LOVE native plants. We use them extensively in our designs and encourage people to incorporate them whenever possible.
But native doesn't automatically mean well-behaved!
Trumpet vine is actually native to our area, and it's a perfect example. Common milkw**d is another. Incredibly valuable to monarch butterflies, but its spreading rhizomes can make it challenging in a small, carefully maintained perennial bed.
Some natives are vigorous spreaders, some grow enormous, and some simply need more room than the average residential garden can offer.
Right plant, right place. ALWAYS!
And while we're on the subject...
🌿 BEWARE OF FREE PLANTS! 😂
You know that sweet neighbor, friend, or relative who says, "Oh, honey, I've got TONS of this growing in my garden! Let me dig some up for you!"
Well, there's sometimes a REASON they have tons of it! 🤣
Not every gesture of sharing is necessarily a kindness when it comes to gardening!
Before accepting a bucket of mystery perennials or something that "spreads really well," do a little homework. You might just be inheriting someone else's garden problem.
Free plants aren't always free when you consider the years you might spend trying to get rid of them!
And that's really the point of this post.
I'm not criticizing anyone's garden or their choices. We all learn as we go, myself included! Some of these plants were popular landscape staples for decades, and plenty of people inherited them when they bought their homes.
But these are the plants my team and I deal with day in and day out. We see what happens five, ten, or twenty years after that innocent little plant goes into the ground.
Some are ecologically invasive and threaten natural areas. Others are simply aggressive spreaders that can overwhelm a garden. There's a difference, and both deserve consideration.
READ THE TAGS! DO YOUR RESEARCH!
Learn the mature size, growing habits, and how a plant spreads. By seed? By runners? By underground rhizomes?
Because let me tell you...
RHIZOMES ARE A BITCH! 🤬🌱
I love plants. I love gardening. I love sharing plants. And I certainly don't want to discourage anyone from planting something beautiful!
I just want people to make thoughtful choices and understand what they're inviting into their gardens.
A little research now can save you years of frustration, hours of labor, and a whole lot of money later.
Consider this a friendly word to the wise from someone who's spent a whole lot of time on the business end of a shovel!
🌿 AmyB
Amy B Gardening
Now tell me, what's the ONE plant you wish you'd never planted? No judgment here! I know you've got stories, and I'd love to hear them! 😂
