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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Original poster

What do you regret planting in your garden?

230 replies

MyRabbit79 · 10/04/2023 14:06

Inspired by the current thread about the plants and weeds people are currently battling, what are the plants you've purposely sown or planted in your garden and come to regret?

For me, it's aquilegia and forget-me-nots.

I bought some aquilegia for our front garden when we moved here and it pops up everywhere, looks messy and I don't love the flowers

Forget-me-not - I sowed these from seed two years ago out the front. They're now everywhere including in the pots, gravel and back garden. Planning to pull most of it up after it's flowered this year.

OP posts:
Timeforabiscuit · 10/04/2023 14:08

Fucking thistles, lovely for the bees and butterflies, horrific for everything else!

LBF2020 · 10/04/2023 14:10

Passion flower. The previous owner must have planted it, it suffocates everything.

IrmaBunt · 10/04/2023 14:11

Jerusalem artichoke. They. Never. Die.

knitpicker · 10/04/2023 14:12

Euphorbia- cripes it’s everywhere

TriggeredByGravy · 10/04/2023 14:14

Poxy bluebells

MandyMotherOfBrian · 10/04/2023 14:14

Erigeron - it’s relentless and springs up everywhere. It is pretty though.

sashagabadon · 10/04/2023 14:14

Irises. You can pull out the long underground rhizomes or tubers ( whatever they are) which is very satisfying if you get a particularly long one.

sashagabadon · 10/04/2023 14:16

Achillea mollis reseeds itself everywhere too but I like it so don’t mind

Original poster
MyRabbit79 · 10/04/2023 14:16

TriggeredByGravy · 10/04/2023 14:14

Poxy bluebells

I have bluebells too! I didn't plant them but they're everywhere. I actually don't mind them though, one of my favourite flowers and I find them relatively easy to dig up if I want to clear an area.

OP posts:
Original poster
MyRabbit79 · 10/04/2023 14:18

sashagabadon · 10/04/2023 14:14

Irises. You can pull out the long underground rhizomes or tubers ( whatever they are) which is very satisfying if you get a particularly long one.

I love a satisfying root to pull up (eg bindweed).

OP posts:
Neverknowinglysensible · 10/04/2023 14:20

So many! The three worst though are:
Chinese lanterns-they have spread through an entire border that I’m going to have to dig out.
Jerusalem sage - loved it and bought 3 plants which again have spread enormously and self seeded everywhere, I dug it all out at the weekend. It almost killed me.
Teasels - I thought they’d be little, pretty four foot things. Not 8 foot monsters which, again, self seed everywhere!

loafintheoven · 10/04/2023 14:20

Two hebes. They were quite small when I planted them. They're now massive, and dominate a south facing border. The middles died off in last summer's heat, and they look terrible. They've never been very exciting to look at, and I'm just steeling myself to try and dig them out. Does anyone know if they would recover from a hard "renovation" pruning?

hoochycrone · 10/04/2023 14:20

Loosestrife 'firecracker' it's gone everywhere. Also raspberry plants.

Original poster
MyRabbit79 · 10/04/2023 14:21

Neverknowinglysensible · 10/04/2023 14:20

So many! The three worst though are:
Chinese lanterns-they have spread through an entire border that I’m going to have to dig out.
Jerusalem sage - loved it and bought 3 plants which again have spread enormously and self seeded everywhere, I dug it all out at the weekend. It almost killed me.
Teasels - I thought they’d be little, pretty four foot things. Not 8 foot monsters which, again, self seed everywhere!

Good to know - I have considered Chinese lanterns but ruled them out as I read that they can be invasive. I still have teasels on my wish list though.

OP posts:
hoochycrone · 10/04/2023 14:22

Euphorbia too. Was here when we came, years later still pulling it up!
When I think of all the lovely little plants that disappear without a trace 😔

Original poster
MyRabbit79 · 10/04/2023 14:22

loafintheoven · 10/04/2023 14:20

Two hebes. They were quite small when I planted them. They're now massive, and dominate a south facing border. The middles died off in last summer's heat, and they look terrible. They've never been very exciting to look at, and I'm just steeling myself to try and dig them out. Does anyone know if they would recover from a hard "renovation" pruning?

My hebe is looking very sad after last year's weather, waiting to see if it recovers as its flowers are usually lovely.

OP posts:
TwigTheWonderKid · 10/04/2023 14:31

Acanthus. It hasn't spread but I didn't want it where I planted it and no amount of digging it up stops it coming back.

Taptap2 · 10/04/2023 14:33

Just dug my two hebes out. They don’t look good as they get bigger. Feel much better now!

Mercedes519 · 10/04/2023 14:34

The bay tree. Cute when we started but now it’s 5 foot tall and blocks the light. Am planning an extensive pruning as I can’t be arsed to dig the fucker out.

no one needs THAT many bay leaves…

Original poster
MyRabbit79 · 10/04/2023 14:35

Mercedes519 · 10/04/2023 14:34

The bay tree. Cute when we started but now it’s 5 foot tall and blocks the light. Am planning an extensive pruning as I can’t be arsed to dig the fucker out.

no one needs THAT many bay leaves…

We have a HUGE bay hedge. Here when we moved in. Handy, but I probably use a bay leaf maybe six times a year.

OP posts:
TowerStork · 10/04/2023 14:35

I don't mind the 'forget me nots', but chives and bullbells are very hard to get rid off. Bluebell bulbs seem to sink very deep

Original poster
MyRabbit79 · 10/04/2023 14:36

Taptap2 · 10/04/2023 14:33

Just dug my two hebes out. They don’t look good as they get bigger. Feel much better now!

Ah, maybe mine is reaching the end of its time then. Will give it a few months and see how it does.

OP posts:
7catsisnotenough · 10/04/2023 14:36

I didn't plant it but inherited a patch of Lily of the Valley 🤢
Despite the fact that I love the way it looks I can't abide the smell of it and have spent years digging it out and giving it to mad people who actually like it! It's one of the sneaky plants that gets everywhere and it even managed to break the path in places 😮

Skyliner1 · 10/04/2023 14:38

Ivy. I was young and didn't know any better. I thought it would fill a bit of space and trail over the edge of our raised section of garden, which to be fair it does. I have to go into battle with it several times a year to stop it taking over the whole thing though.

Original poster
MyRabbit79 · 10/04/2023 14:40

Skyliner1 · 10/04/2023 14:38

Ivy. I was young and didn't know any better. I thought it would fill a bit of space and trail over the edge of our raised section of garden, which to be fair it does. I have to go into battle with it several times a year to stop it taking over the whole thing though.

Noooo! Ivy is the worst. Our neighbours' is taking over the whole street.

OP posts:
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