Mint. Several kinds.
Ditch lilies as fillers, rather than just putting them where I knew I wanted them.
Perilla (thank goodness that's almost all gone)
pink Impatience that reseeded everywhere

I'm worried about some 'Purple Knockout' Savlia that's showing aggressive reseeding.
I was hating Lichnis (?) until I got it out of where I didn't want it and put in on my hillsides (Home of All Things Invasive.)
I'm not fond of helianthus.
Now that I've moved all Vlad's strawberries, I like them again. [LOL]

Good question.
C.

Last summer I made the mistake of planting Grandpa Ott's morning glories. This spring there were volunteers everywhere. I would not be exaggerating if I said there were easy 2000 of them. They're growing in the burn pile and in the cracks of the sidewalk. They even sprouted in the potted plants that I summered outside last year. Never again!!
I once planted bishop's weed that someone gave me. I didn't know what it was. It took me 3 years to get rid of that mistake.

Macleaya cordata (plume poppy). Not only was this invasive as hell, it was ugly to boot. Took me a few years to get rid of it.

Passionflower (generic maypop). Made the mistake of putting a tiny sprig in my front perennial garden and it spread like crazy. I got it out of there and into a large tub on the deck.

Silver maple. I didn't plant these, but inherited two huge ones so it's too late.

Larry

I regret letting cleome sprout everywhere. I like it, but it's everywhere! I resolve to be more careful next year! A few years ago, I bought some rose mallow and planted it in the front yard. It's all over now--holy cow that thing's spread! I like it, but I'll be bringing some extras to the plant swap.
Also, I wish the former owner had never planted the Japanese knotweed; it's nice but in small doses. I dread having to cut some of it back, even though I intend to follow the directions on the printout someone here was kind enough to post a link to.

Oh, I forgot about the maypop I planted a few yrs ago. I finally got rid of it but it was a lot of work.
Cleome's...yes...been there done that. And you can't remove the seed heads without losing the flowers.

Lamb's ear and mint. The mint is in the water garden stream, I really have to keep after it or it will divert the water.

Achillea - Pearl Variety.
Clematis Montana (Fall blooming).

Inherited plants - Bishop's weed/snow on the mountain; Trumpet vine.

Very hard to get rid of.

Dundalk, I'm curious as to why you don't like clematis montana. I have one growing way up into an old crabapple and it's so beautiful when it blooms. It blooms in the spring btw.

Gooseneck loosestrife, I think I'm going to have to remove a few plants that it hasn't killed and then tear out the bed it is in (sigh) and move it to the alley where it can run amuck. Passionflower I still like, although it will probably be as bad as Virginia Creeper soon, which I never planted and can't be rid of.

Boo-hoo, I've killed every cleome I've ever lured into the yard. I can only imagine ruing it. A friend of mine grew some for me this year in a large pot and brought it over when it started blooming. I'm almost afraid to get too close! Maybe it will reseed this year...

If you want cleomes to reseed, just leave 'em alone!

: ) I swear I keep my distance...really I do. I think some plants are like cats or kids, the more you like them, the more they stay away. And of course, the more you detest them, the more they generally stand on your head or grow like crazy (you decide which is which).

Hi--I'm new here, but can't resist this question! Lindernia something or other--blue moneywort--native ground cover that is very pretty and looks innocent until a couple of years go by--now it's everywhere, and it puts down stubborn roots. Usually I have great success killing ground covers--even bishop's weed--so this would probably be kudzu in someone else's garden.

One more vote for never, ever, planting Houttuynia cordata anywhere.

I have to laugh.
On my roadsides (aka 'Home of All Things Invasive) I have:

Loosestrife Gooseneck (well behaved)
Mallows
Lychnis
Helianthus
Houttuynia (won't spread)
Bishop's weed (can't get it to spread)
Liriope
Cleome of all colors (reseeded but 99% died in the heat)
Chocolate mint
Ajuga (can't get it to spread)
Obedient Plant (looks like it might start spreading)
Black-eyed Susans (self-contained, too)
Onethera (won't spread)
Vlad's Strawberries (Gone WILD!)
Arc angel (sulking)
Christina (Lettsee's) ffield daisies died.
Spiderwort disappeared.
Dead Nettle (dead?)
Even my 'Elvis Lives' hosta, didn't.

At least the liriope in all its variations is happy. Not spreading, but happy.

I think my microcosm has far too much, unending sun and no water. Things seem to need that to spread. It's even called my sedum 'acre' to dry up and die in many places. Sedum!
I've had 3 rains in 10 weeks and I cannot keep up with the soaker hoses. I can only wish your bane were my gain! When you want it to spread, nothing happens.

Ah well.
Christine

I have Houttuynia and it hasn't taken over the yard yet! Must be my yard, 'cause I've heard horror stories. A friend of mine (who has sinced left the area) used to grouse about 4:00s everywhere. They do get around!

Bishop's Weed/Snow-on-the-mountain/Aegopodium - it's extremely invasive and impossible to get rid of -

Ivy, vinva major, wild strawberries, and some sort of herb that for me spreads like wild fire (I have seen it at other peple's gardens and it didn't spread). Wisteria, even as a "tree". Its beautiful when it blooms, but I have vines evrywhere. Plain lilac (mildew galore), mimosa trees, silver/Norwegian Maples (I got rid of most of those and am still fighting the seedlings), bottle brush grass (another spreader, climbing hydrangea and plum tree (the beetles love it too much), non disease resistant roses. All are lessons learned.

One thing to be said for my current house's poor soil and this summer's minidrought is that things don't get out of hand. One thing that's gone gangbusters (but not too much for me) is the yellow/organge cosmos (Bright Lights?) that self-seeds like crazy. This might be good for Christine's roadside.

Hi,

It's been ages since I've been to this forum. Life has a way of leading us off the path *we* had planned! :-)

Two of the things I will never, ever plant again are ajuga (I "rescued" a sprig left by the previous owners and it's repaid me by spreading everywhere!) and campanula ('Cherry Bells' variety). The campanula was advertised as attracting hummingbirds and "vigorous" (I think that's catalog-spreak for "invasive") but I've never seen a hummingbird investigate any of them. In both cases I dug out all the other plants I wanted to keep and then attacked the ajuga and campanula. I've beaten them back and hope to defeat them completely by next year.

I've also got several vigorous self-seeders like black-eyed susans and love-in-a-mist but I don't find them as much of a problem as the ones that spread by runners, like the ajuga and the campanula.

Rich

Spiderwort (trandescantia). Spreads everywhere and puts down very deep, tenacious roots.

Posted by: aka_Peggy Md6b (My Page) on Thu, Sep 8, 05 at 21:37

Dundalk, I'm curious as to why you don't like clematis montana. I have one growing way up into an old crabapple and it's so beautiful when it blooms. It blooms in the spring btw.

Peggy, It is pretty - It just takes over everything - I cut it back to the ground in the spring and it has covered the fence and my young birch tree.

Ah! Yes Montana will grow to around 40' so I can see how it could take over. I trained mine to grow into the crabapple. It took a bit of effort the 1st 3 years...and a tall ladder. Now that I've learned how to post pictures, I'll get a pic next spring when it's in flower and post it here. Stay tuned.