They won’t coexist. They strangle any competition. At heart they’re boa constrictors with stubborn roots. And if that won’t work, they’ll just suffocate it.
- Yes, grass. When it gets in the garden beds, it pushes everything else out.
- Ground ivy. We have two types all over the place.
- Virginia creeper.
- Multiflora roses.
- Japanese honeysuckle.
- Goutweed (St. Jerome wort?).
- Stealth maples. Don’t laugh. Twice in two decades a pleasant little shade garden reverted to forest.
- Japanese knotweed.
- Dandelions, with their deep roots. Ditto for Queen Ann’s Lace.
Mint comes close. We have both spearmint, east of the house, and peppermint west of the Smoking Garden. But sometimes it comes in handy. Especially for folks who want contractors bags filled to brimming.
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What would you add to the list?
Where I live (Texas), clover is a weed that gets in my lawn. Henbit and Johnson grass can really be a bother too. I’ve also seen kudzu vines take over entire trees as I travel in Arkansas.
Asparagus fern! Hideous, hideous stuff. And with nasty thorns to take its revenge when you try to deal with it.
Ours don’t have thorns. I’m curious …