July 1 Column: Aggressive Plants

Ay yi yi! This has been a frustrating season for me because I’m really battling some aggressive plants in my flower beds. So I decided this would be the perfect topic for this week’s garden column. Here’s a link to it in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Aggressive plants test patience.

In it, I mentioned “the top five plants that are sorely trying my patience.” So here they are, along with photos, just in case you’re not familiar with some of them: 

Phlox ‘David’ – Sure, it looks harmless enough with this lovely tiger swallowtail butterfly on it, but it spreads like nobody’s business!

Gooseneck loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides) – It looks so cool when it’s in bloom, but I have enough to supply all of Spokane with it!

Snowdrop anemone (Anemone sylvestris) – Charming flowers, right? If it would stay put, rather than spreading throughout my big front perennial bed, I would be perfectly happy with it.

Lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis) – I love how this plant looks when raindrops bead up on the leaves. But I do not appreciate how easily they self-sow. I once commented something to this effect in a garden column a few years ago and was taken to task for it by a former Master Gardener. She said, “how could you NOT love it? I was really offended that you panned it in your column!” Well, I’m sorry to have panned it not once but twice. It still hasn’t learned how to behave itself so I’m not pulling any punches! Yes, it’s a delightful plant but you definitely need to remove the flowers before they set seed… otherwise you’ll have a garden full of Lady’s mantle!

 

Spotted dead nettle (Lamium maculatum) – This is a dandy groundcover but let me just say that it reeeaaaally wants to cover ground! I’d recommend either growing it in a container or keeping it in a bed that is edged with metal or wood… although you’ll still need to keep an eye on it.

And now it’s time for this week’s “Everyone Can Grow a Garden” video. I’m trying to shoot a virtual tour of my vegetable garden once a month so you can watch the transformation of it throughout the season. I shot my first one in early June, so here’s the July 1st edition: