Some plants arrive in the yard looking like the answer to a problem.
They cover an ugly fence, fill a bare patch of shade, attract hummingbirds, or provide a quick privacy screen. For the first season or two, everything may seem perfect.
Then a new shoot appears six feet away. Another pops up beneath the fence. Roots become tangled through nearby flowers, and cutting the original plant only seems to make it angrier.
The plants below are not equally troublesome everywhere. Climate, soil, local ecosystems, and the exact species all matter. However, each has a well-earned reputation for spreading beyond the place where it was originally planted.
1. Running Bamboo
Running bamboo can create a thick privacy screen surprisingly fast. That speed is also the reason it can become a nightmare.
Unlike clumping bamboo, running types produce long underground stems called rhizomes. These rhizomes travel horizontally through the soil before sending up new canes, sometimes well beyond the original planting area.
New growth may appear in the lawn, along a fence, beneath a deck, or on the neighbor’s side of the property line. Simply cutting the visible canes does not remove the living network beneath the soil.
The safest time to control running bamboo is before it is planted. A properly installed rhizome barrier may help contain it, but the barrier must be deep, durable, and checked regularly for escaping rhizomes.
Established bamboo removal usually involves cutting the canes, digging out as much of the rhizome network as possible, and repeatedly removing every shoot that returns. A large, mature stand may require professional excavation.
2. Mint
Mint is one of the easiest herbs to grow. In fact, it may be a little too easy.
A small nursery plant can quietly send runners through loose garden soil. Before long, mint begins appearing between vegetables, beneath edging, and several feet from the original clump.
Digging it up can be frustrating because overlooked underground stems may produce fresh growth. University of Minnesota Extension recommends containing invasive mints in pots or buckets rather than allowing them to spread freely through a bed.
Mint is generally best grown in a container with drainage holes. Keep that container on a hard surface or check beneath it periodically, since stems that lean over the rim may touch the soil and root.
Gardeners who already have a wandering patch should pull new growth regularly and carefully sift through the soil for runners. Expect to revisit the area throughout the growing season.
3. Trumpet Vine
Trumpet vine is difficult to resist when its orange, tube-shaped flowers are covered with visiting hummingbirds.
The problem is happening underground.
Trumpet vine can spread through an extensive root system that sends up suckers around the yard. Illinois Extension warns that it suckers freely and should be used cautiously in smaller gardens.
Those shoots may appear in flower beds, lawns, cracks, and along fence lines. Cutting the main vine does not necessarily stop them because the roots may remain alive.
Do not allow trumpet vine to climb directly on siding, gutters, or a weak wooden structure. Mature stems become thick and heavy, and the vine can work its way into spaces where removal becomes difficult.
Removing it may require digging out the main root crown, cutting every sucker as soon as it appears, and continuing the process for several seasons. Trumpet vine is native to parts of the United States, so “aggressive” is often a more accurate description than “invasive,” depending on where it is growing.
4. English Ivy
English ivy has been used for generations to cover shaded ground, brick walls, fences, and tree trunks.
Once it escapes, however, its long stems creep across the soil and form new roots. A small planting can eventually become a dense mat that blocks light from seedlings and lower-growing plants.
English ivy can also climb trees using small aerial rootlets. Heavy mature vines hold moisture against bark and add weight to trunks and branches, particularly during wind, snow, and ice.
Do not yank thick ivy from a living tree. Pulling established vines can damage the bark or bring down loose branches. Cut the vines around the base of the tree, remove a section so the ends cannot reconnect, and allow the upper growth to die naturally.
Ground-level ivy must be rolled or pulled back while the rooted stems are removed. The area should be checked repeatedly because overlooked pieces may resume growing.
5. Japanese Knotweed
Japanese knotweed is the plant on this list that should make a homeowner pause before grabbing a shovel.
It produces tall, bamboo-like stems above an extensive underground rhizome system. Disturbing that system can break it into pieces, and individual fragments are capable of producing new plants.
That means careless digging, mowing, hauling, or moving contaminated soil may spread the infestation instead of eliminating it.
Do not run knotweed stems through a mower or ordinary chipper. Avoid putting fresh roots or stem pieces into a backyard compost pile where they may remain viable.
A small new shoot may be manageable with persistent, carefully planned control. A large established colony is a different problem and may require help from a licensed vegetation-management professional.
Local disposal rules and recommended treatments vary. Confirm the plant’s identity and check with your state extension office or invasive-species program before disturbing a large patch.
6. Field Bindweed
Field bindweed looks like a delicate little morning glory. Its root system is anything but delicate.
The perennial vine twists around vegetables, flowers, fences, and anything else it can reach. Beneath the surface, it develops deep cord-like roots and creeping underground rhizomes.
When those roots break during pulling or digging, the parts left in the ground may continue growing. Meanwhile, flowers that are allowed to mature can add seeds to the soil.
Occasional pulling is rarely enough. The goal is to repeatedly remove every new shoot before it has time to rebuild the root system’s stored energy.
In a vegetable garden, that may mean frequent hand removal combined with mulch or another light-blocking cover. Around valuable perennials, work carefully so bindweed roots are not accidentally spread throughout the bed.
7. Goutweed
Goutweed, also called bishop’s weed or ground elder, is often sold in an attractive variegated form with cream-and-green leaves.
It is marketed as an easy groundcover for difficult shade. Unfortunately, its underground rhizomes do not always respect the edge of the groundcover bed.
Goutweed spreads rapidly through those rhizomes and can weave itself directly through the roots of hostas, shrubs, and other established plants.
This becomes especially difficult when wanted plants are trapped inside the patch. Saving them may require lifting each plant, washing the soil from its roots, and removing every visible piece of goutweed before replanting.
One round of digging is unlikely to catch everything. Watch the cleared area closely and pull returning leaves before they can strengthen the surviving rhizomes.
8. Chameleon Plant
Chameleon plant earns plenty of attention at the garden center. Its heart-shaped leaves may contain splashes of green, cream, pink, yellow, and red.
That colorful plant can quickly turn into a solid colony.
Chameleon plant spreads through fragile underground rhizomes. University of Maryland Extension warns that these rhizomes break apart easily and that pieces left behind can regrow.
It is particularly comfortable in moist soil, where it may travel beneath other plants and emerge in unexpected places. The leaves also release a strong odor when crushed, which some gardeners find unpleasant.
A container is far safer than an open garden bed. Do not place the pot where drainage holes are in direct contact with moist soil, since escaping growth may establish outside the container.
Once planted in the ground, removal usually requires repeated digging and immediate removal of each returning shoot.
9. Lily of the Valley
Lily of the valley looks almost too sweet to cause trouble. Its tiny white bells and strong spring fragrance have made it a longtime shade-garden favorite.
The plant spreads through rhizomes just beneath the soil, gradually forming a dense colony. In the right conditions, those rhizomes may travel beyond edging and into nearby beds.
European lily of the valley is also considered an aggressive spreader, and all parts should be treated cautiously because the plant has poisonous characteristics if eaten.
Keep it away from places where curious pets or young children may sample the leaves or berries. Do not assume a plant is safe because it produces familiar-looking flowers.
Removal requires lifting the colony and carefully tracing the pale underground rhizomes through the soil. Any pieces left among neighboring plants may begin rebuilding the patch.
10. Periwinkle
Periwinkle is still commonly planted under trees, along slopes, and anywhere grass struggles to grow.
Its trailing stems spread across the soil and root as they go. Over time, separate plants become a thick, interconnected mat that can crowd out smaller woodland and garden plants.
Common periwinkle has been documented as invasive, and several extension programs no longer recommend planting it near natural areas.
Trimming the edges does not remove the rooted stems inside the bed. To clear a patch, lift the runners, loosen the soil beneath them, and follow each rooted section as far as possible.
Do not dump living pieces along a wooded edge or in a casual brush pile. Replace the cleared area quickly with a well-behaved groundcover or mulch so new periwinkle growth is easier to spot.
11. Wisteria
A mature wisteria in full bloom can stop people in their tracks. Long purple flower clusters hang from the vine like something from a storybook garden.
Chinese and Japanese wisteria can also grow with remarkable force. Their twining stems become thick and woody, wrapping tightly around railings, trees, gutters, and lightweight supports.
The Asian species have more rampant growth than native American wisteria and can be difficult to distinguish when flowers and seedpods are absent.
Never rely on a small decorative trellis for a mature wisteria. Use a substantial freestanding structure and keep the vine away from siding, rooflines, and living trees.
Escaped vines may produce new shoots from roots and runners. Cutting the trunk removes the top growth, but it does not guarantee that the underground portion is dead.
Gardeners who want the flowers with less risk should consider American wisteria or Kentucky wisteria. These native choices still need pruning and a strong support, but they are generally better behaved than the commonly planted Asian species.
12. Tree of Heaven
Tree of heaven often appears where no one remembers planting it: behind a garage, along a fence, in an alley, or through a crack beside a foundation.
Its fast growth may tempt a homeowner to cut the trunk and consider the job finished. That can make the problem much larger.
Tree of heaven spreads by seed and by root suckers. Penn State Extension warns that cutting or mowing an established tree can trigger large numbers of stump sprouts and root suckers.
Those shoots may emerge many feet from the original trunk, turning a single tree into a scattered colony. Tree of heaven is also a preferred host for the invasive spotted lanternfly.
Plan the control method before cutting the tree. Large trees, trees near buildings, and colonies connected by roots may require a licensed arborist or vegetation-management professional.
Confirm the identification first. Native sumacs, walnuts, and other trees have somewhat similar compound leaves and should not be removed based on a quick photograph alone.
Whatever plant you are fighting, the most important work usually happens after the first big cleanup. Mark the area, inspect it every few weeks, and remove new growth while it is still small. A forgotten shoot can give an established root system exactly what it needs to start over.
Image Attribution
Field Bindweed
- “Convolvulus arvensis – 20070624.jpg” by Manfred Heyde, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Goutweed
- “Aegopodium podagraria 003.JPG” by H. Zell, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Chameleon Plant
- “Houttuynie Cordata ‘Chameleon’.jpg” by BastienM, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
