Plants that go wild

Another dislike is stinking Iris, Iris foetidus. It spreads everywhere. The flowers is insipid but beware the lovely red seeds in the autumn if you don’t want a garden full.

We also have sedge. You cut one set of seed heads off only for another set to appear. It spreads everywhere even in the middle of treasured plants and is incredibly difficult to dig out.

I love all these plants too, Caleo. I'd call them reliable, rather than invasive. The only things I've had real trouble with are ox-eye daisies and arrow bamboo - only good if you have plenty of space. The geraniums and wallflowers reliably self seed and pop up in unexpected places too.

The roots had spread underground under all of the other plants. We were away at the time and by the time we’d got back it had covered everything. You could almost see it growing! I also scattered poppy seeds all over the back garden because they looked lovely in the front garden not realising that they’d grow all over the lawn.

The only things I've had real trouble with are ox-eye daisies

I am trying to grow ox-eye daisies in my "wildflower meadow" but not very successfully!

Aquilegia , Day Lilies , Forget Me Nots , Foxgloves , Japanese Anemones , Nigella , Spanish bluebells and Vinca .

I dig up the Day Lilies and Japanese Anemones and pot them up as people always want them despite the warning !

I don't mind the Aquilegia , Foxgloves and Nigella .

I rip up the Forget Me Nots , Spanish Bluebells and Vinca as they are a real nuisance .

I have Agapanthus in pots .The mother plant has actually pushed out the heavy rockery stones from the border . Every now and again I take some from the edge to give away .

When the frosts finish I'm filling friend's new border with plants from my garden .

Have some of my ox eye daisies Callistemon. They grow in the borders and in the lawns.

Oh, yes please!
But the soil is very poor indeed in that area of lawn; someone said the prettier wildflowers eg poppies, cornflowers, oxeye daisies etc need a richer soil than other weeds wildflowers.

The forgetmenots grow in amongst the strawberries.

I love this thread. 🌸 🌺 I have a new-build house with a garden with nothing in it. I wish you could send me some of your naughty plants!

My dd has white Japanese anemones in her garden. The flowers last for weeks and the white is so pure that in the evenings they look almost ghostly. I plan to split some of her plants and bring them here.

There were Japanese anemones in our garden when we moved in 42 years ago despite strenuous efforts over the years we have never managed to get rid of them.

I remember that I was given some violets with the comment that they would only grow in Devon - sadly, no scent that I can discern. I can attest that they certainly do grow elsewhere and have taken over a flower bed. As a lazy gardener I don't mind too much.

I've found what I think are violets growing in the lawn, very pretty.

Borage, seeds everywhere, the flowers are pretty (some like them in Pims), otherwise it’s lots of leaf. In a small garden it makes a bit much of itself.

Antirhinums and parsley.

Buddleia. Grows like a weed, which I think some people it is!

On the other hand, a plant I can't seem to grow is lilac. I've always wanted a nice lilac tree and both have died in the two gardens I've planted them in.

Jaxjacky

Borage, seeds everywhere, the flowers are pretty (some like them in Pims), otherwise it’s lots of leaf. In a small garden it makes a bit much of itself.

Farmers round here grow this as a cash crop. I believe it's quite lucrative!

We have loads of violets, they grow everywhere but I don’t mind them as they are good ground cover, better than weeds. Ditto nasturtiums at certain times but at least you can eat them. Not many gardens here are ‘regimented’, too hard because we have 2 growing seasons. More a case of slashing your way through if you let it loose . Literally !

Something I used in a previous garden. It is a two stage thing. So a large dandelion growing from under unpleasant neighbours fence up into my garden. Couldnt get to the roots. So planted loads of nasturciums in the hole and around and let them flower and overpower the dandelion for quite a time. Then they were easy to pul up and voila problem solved. So chopping back as much as possible and then overplant with a flower you like that is easy to remove later seems to work well. I keep all my herbs in pots standing on a patio and dont let them creep into the flowerbeds . That way I can have whatever I like without it taking over. So have 4 or 5 mints, thyme , sage, all sorts and move the pots around so that the thing that is at its best is in the front to enjoy.

Agapanthus is amazing when there’s masses of it - architectural shapes fabulous blue .. could be worse !

Ajuga including in the lawn (well it's more an area of grass with other weeds).
It gets mown off but persists.

I have two who want to takeover not just my garden but all the ones in the street.
Honesty it appears in any wee space through paving and gravel and Oxalis what was a very small patch for 20 years took over about 20feet lasst year ,it sprung up in pots underneath what was planted in them and I had neighbours ask what it was as it was in their gardens 20 houses away .
Thing is I planted both because my dad always had them so they'll be allowed to stay

Love in a mist seeds are brilliant scattered over a Loaf and baked in the oven or on flatbread when you bake it

It's great for bees etc

Alchemilla mollis-I don’t mind it, except when it decides to start growing between slabs on the patio.

When we moved onto our house about 30 years ago, it was a new build with a raw garden. A friend gave me 3 cuttings of ivy to soften some of the walled edges. I almost curse her every year as I hack back the wretched stuff. It's a constant struggle to keep it from totally invading the borders which are raised. Sadly it spread into the small wood at the bottom of the garden and several trees now have an ivy blanket to keep the cold out. If I ever have another garden I shall avoid ivy like the plague.

For us it's montbretia and more recently grape hyacinths: we love them both in modest quantities!
Previous thugs have been lemon balm and periwinkle both of which suddenly disappeared from the garden!