While working on yesterday's post "a walk in the park," Evan Bean (The Practical Plant Geek) and I got to musing on vinca and bamboo and other plants that are overly aggressive in the average garden. I'm no stranger to vinca, I waged a several-weeks-long war on a particularly nasty patch of it shortly after we moved here in 2005. I wasn't blogging then so it was a silent war, unlike when I decided to tackle the bishops weed in 2011 and issued a public challenge to myself. Here's the expanding patch of bishop's weed, before I won the war...
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So what have I planted that future owners of this small plot of land will do battle with? All the early and obvious offenders like Galium odoratum (sweet woodruff), Euphorbia amygdaloides var. Robbiae, Chasmanthium latifolium (northern sea oats) or Nassella tenuissima (feather grass) failed to take over. My cramscaping ways, stinginess with summer water, and neat-nick tenancies (cutting back before seeds were allowed to spread) all seem to have helped. These plants that could have taken over are shadows of their former selves and some are even struggling to maintain a footing.
Liriope muscari could become a problem, except it's trapped between the patio and large metal stock tanks...
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Which brings me to the bamboo, which we've contained in those big metal tanks, but I realize it's likely to break free someday...a scary thought indeed.
I guess the thing I've done that future gardeners might curse me for is plant too many trees. Ones I watch and prune and know I'll need to make choices about, but they may not.
Thinking about those trees the worst offender is probably the fast growing Paulownia tomentosa. I coppice it every spring so it stays "small" and I just get the luxurious large leaves but none of the blooms...blooms that could go on to form incredibly successful seeds that would populate the neighborhood with its offspring.
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So I'm curious, what have you planted that future owners of your garden will curse you for?
(Edited to add: Tetrapanax! How did I miss that one? That could become a real nightmare at some point in the future....)
Weather Diary, Mar 23: Hi 53, Low 44/ Precip .07
All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
So what have I planted that future owners of this small plot of land will do battle with? All the early and obvious offenders like Galium odoratum (sweet woodruff), Euphorbia amygdaloides var. Robbiae, Chasmanthium latifolium (northern sea oats) or Nassella tenuissima (feather grass) failed to take over. My cramscaping ways, stinginess with summer water, and neat-nick tenancies (cutting back before seeds were allowed to spread) all seem to have helped. These plants that could have taken over are shadows of their former selves and some are even struggling to maintain a footing.
Liriope muscari could become a problem, except it's trapped between the patio and large metal stock tanks...
Which brings me to the bamboo, which we've contained in those big metal tanks, but I realize it's likely to break free someday...a scary thought indeed.
I guess the thing I've done that future gardeners might curse me for is plant too many trees. Ones I watch and prune and know I'll need to make choices about, but they may not.
Thinking about those trees the worst offender is probably the fast growing Paulownia tomentosa. I coppice it every spring so it stays "small" and I just get the luxurious large leaves but none of the blooms...blooms that could go on to form incredibly successful seeds that would populate the neighborhood with its offspring.
So I'm curious, what have you planted that future owners of your garden will curse you for?
(Edited to add: Tetrapanax! How did I miss that one? That could become a real nightmare at some point in the future....)
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Weather Diary, Mar 23: Hi 53, Low 44/ Precip .07
All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.