Love/Hate Relationships

It's one thing restricting the growth on our own over-active plants. Can put them in pots. But it's very difficult when the invasive plants are encroaching from a neighbour's gardens.

When I first bought my house, over half of my front garden lawn was overgrown with a plant from next door which throws out shoots under the ground. I think it is Hypericum calycinum. Had to dig up most of the front garden to try to eliminate it.
Now it's started invading from next door again.

Almost impossible for me to grow pretty neat plants, when a neighbour puts in thugs which are never trimmed back, such a fast-growing ivy and huge ceanothus. Makes me want to give up trying. My delicate clematis and trachelospermum jasminoides soon get smothered. Just can't compete. Help!

It's fascinating how we form these 'relationships' with plants, and we often develop a love / hate relationship with them.Often we impose views that are merely based on our emotional or aesthetic responses to them as well. An interesting Blog Andrew.

Generally love most plants esp shrubs as these often the backbone to a garden.The only plant well tree actually could happily see gone is the larch tree.

A deciduous conifer (!) planted extensively here to make those next to useless fence panels.The needles form such a thick mat that nothing grows below them - they ooze sap which attracts larch flies.Scary things like giant wasps but fortunately dont sting.Mind you you need some convincing when you see the size of them!

Ah, how can you have too many of the Welsh Poppies ? They are sooo delicate. And the massive common or garden Evening Primrose seeds prolifically in my garden, but are too beautiful to get rid of, unless shading something more choice. Also, campanula poscharskyana ...

I really don't mind if things get a bit out of hand once in a while as it reminds me that we cannot be entirely in control at all times - therefore we should relax and enjoy the ride until we've had enough!

Bonkers, I planted a Larch about 16 years ago and it is wonderful. I don't find the needles hanging around at all - I have lawn under mine and when I mow, the needles whizz up into the machine and are magically disposed of. Plus, I think that the worms pull them down into the grass...Never seen a larch fly (or an elephant, for that matter...)

You must have some amazing worms Claire ! Hope you never get bitten by one as they must have teeth to munch on those needles.Perhaps seeing hundreds of thousands planted across North York moors makes me somewhat anti - glad you happy with yours.

When I moved here I brought lots of plants from my old garden but there were some I wanted to leave behind.
Fox & cubs was one of them. It just became a nuisance.
Also Lady's mantle, Lysimachia, a 'black' Iris and day lilies. The last two I found growing much too big with not many flowers. Ferns also tried to take over the garden.
Unfortunately Foxes and cubs and lady's mantle came here as stowaways in pots with other plants.
Will I ever be free of them ? I wouldn't mind if they behaved themselves and didn't spread too much. but I'm afraid that will not happen. I'll still be digging them out all my life. I think of them as weeds.

When I was living in Britain I once had a lysimachia amongst the flowers in a hanging basket over an area of gravel with three "stepping stones" by my small pond. The following year I was amazed to see the gravel area turn yellow with the lysimachia flowers which had, obviously, self-seeded, leaving the stepping stones standing out amongst them. I happily left it to do its own thing and in the following years constantly gazed at it in amazement at the way plants tell us what they like best!

I just realised, whilst weeding out the flippin' things, that there is one plant that I really don't appreciate spreading itself around - the Lemon Balm (Melissa sp) which looks horrible most of the time (foliage a bit nettle like) with indifferent flowers (small,white) and looks even worse when the seed heads appear. The only good bit about it is the scented leaves and its medicinal properties.

I have a variegated one . It doesn't grow as rampantly as the green one and looks better too. I like the smell it's got.

I'd like to compliment Nariz...you have hit the nail on the head... for all our plans and catering to less than enthusiastically growing plants...the plants themselves tell us most succinctly where they will be...I have had experience of the Lysimachia...it came to me from a neighbour's yard...but I like it so I leave it alone...I'm onside with Clairefifi about Melissa also...if only it didn't smell so wonderful and make such a great tea...And sorry BB, but I have a Japanese Larch tree in my backyard that was my first garden acquisition and I love it...like Clairfifi...I've never had a minutes displeasure with it.
Great blog, Andrewr. Very thought provoking.

I've enjoyed reading everyone's opinions.
Yes, this is a good blog,
exploring our attitudes to various plant guests and plant intruders! :o)

I had the variegated one and every single seedling from it was green :-(

Quite an achievement Andrewr.
After all, as Kermit says:
It's Not That Easy Being Green. :o)

Good blog! Oh the joyful thought of actually being knee-deep in cowslips. You do mean the real ones, don't you? How could I ever have too many?!

I could hardly believe the coincidence., I spent yesterday pulling out Sysyrinchium striatum and Everning Primroses. Too late as both have seeded, and what a quantity of seeds thry produce.
I love Welsh Poppies so they prosper on the Rock Garden.. The one you don't mention is CROWN VETCH (Coronilla varia) That is a hate/love one as are Euphorbia cyparissus and unexpectedly BURNET ROSE (Rosa pimpinellifolia), which I brought home from Strumble Head in West Wales, and find it widespread under the Rock Gardeen stones.
This is a fine Blog you have created.

I also have lemon balm and it pops up everywhere!! keep digging it out i love the smell but think it ought to go in a pot, suppose it will still seed itself unless i am quick enough to pull off the seed heads though!

I usually end up leaving it too late to pull plants out that I don't want to spread. When I do get round to it the seeds scatter everywhere and spread far and wide!

hmmm....just musing...Melissa is such a tenacious rooter that perhaps with judicious pruning/cutting perhaps it would make a lovely lawn...imagine the smell when mowing??