9 Plants to Never Grow in Your Yard

October 22, 2020

Gardening can be a great activity to relieve stress and also improve the landscaping around your home. Whether you are updating an existing garden, starting a new one, or thinking about the landscaping in the yard for a custom home, there are some plants that are not worth the trouble. Here are a few plants to never grow in your yard:

1. Mint

Although mint has a great flavor, can be used in a variety of ways, and can be useful to have around, you don’t want to plant it in your yard. Mint has an invasive root system that grows aggressively. If it’s planted in your yard, it will take over and spread all over the place like a rapidly-growing aggressive weed.

If you’re a fan of mint and you want to use garden herbs in your home, grow your mint plants in secure containers. This will keep the root system contained and will also protect your yard. Often, mint does well indoors in containers on a windowsill with enough light, so that is another option to keep it on-hand, but out of your yard.

2. Bugleweed

Bugleweed, or ajuga reptans, is a beautifully-flowering groundcover plant. Although it may have a place as a groundcover is some specific situations, it does not tend to be a good fit for residential yards. In general, it grows rapidly and spreads aggressively. It tends to take over yards quickly and is also notoriously difficult to contain or eradicate.

3. Sweet Autumn Clematis

Sweet autumn clematis starts out as a mass of vines that flowers into gorgeous blooms. Based on appearance alone, it is eye-catching and seems like a great addition to your garden. However, this plant is self-seeding and its seeds tend to end up everywhere, including in the most unexpected of places.

Because of how it is able to self-seed, this plant will spread all over the yard. Seedlings can also survive in shady areas, under dense foliage, etc. So, it can be hard to find when you are trying to get rid of it, which only makes it more difficult to eradicate. In this case, it’s better to avoid it in the first place and keep in on the list of plants to never grow in your yard.

4. Trumpet Vine

Trumpet vine, also known as campsis radicans, is a plant that is native to North America. Although it may not be classified as an invasive species, it is quite aggressive and invasive if it ends up in your yard. This plant, although pretty, is a notoriously aggressive spreader that will quickly take over your yard.

5. Virginia Creeper

Like the trumpet vine, the Virginia creeper is another native plant that is an aggressive spreader. It’s one of the plants to never grow in your yard and, if it’s common in your area, it’s one of the plants you want to watch out for to make sure it doesn’t inadvertently end up in your yard and take root.

As its name implies, this plant creeps, spreads, and climbs. And, it does so aggressively and rapidly. Once it takes root and starts spreading, it can be difficult to eradicate. On top of that, it can also irritate the skin and some people end up with a rash after coming into contact with it.

6. Tansy

Tansy may have pretty yellow puffs when it blooms, but it’s not a plant that you want to grow in your yard. Not only is it an invasive and aggressive spreader because it spreads by both the roots and the seeds, but it is also poisonous if ingested.

This makes it dangerous around pets, livestock, and children. It can be particularly dangerous around children because its blooms can be tempting for young children to touch and even to put in their mouths when you’re not looking.

7. Japanese Barberry

Although Japanese barberry is beautiful, tolerant of shade and drought, and also resistant to deer, it’s usually not a great choice for your yard. Even though it is sometimes included in landscaping trends, it’s generally a good idea to leave it out of your yard.

It tends to be invasive, so it is difficult to manage. Also, it has sharp barbs that are hidden in the thicket, which tends to make it unpleasant to manage. On top of that,black-legged ticks, which can carry Lyme disease, love to hide in its leaves.

8. Castor Bean

With its large leaves and bright clustered blooms, the castor bean is a beautiful plant. However, every part of it is poisonous, especially the seed. This plant is toxic to animals large and small, so it is often not a great option for residential yards and gardens.

Also, it grows rapidly and can become invasive if not carefully managed. Adding invasive plants is one of the biggest landscaping mistakes to avoid, especially if they are poisonous on top of it!

9. Yucca

With its distinctive spiky leaves, yucca plants can be an interesting addition to a garden. But, they are invasive, pervasive, hard to kill, and require a ton of maintenance. This plant only blooms for about a week and, once they’re spent, the leaves need to be discarded and stalks chopped down.

The yucca plant is also notorious for attracting a variety of insects and, usually, a lot of them. Because its root system is so pervasive, you have to dig it up and also dig up everything around it too if you want to get rid of it. If you really want to have this spiky plant around, it’s best to leave it out of the yard and keep it in a secure pot indoors or on a deck, patio, or porch.

Although space for a garden is one of the backyard must-haves, you do want to avoid these plants to never grow in your yard. Whether they are aggressive and take over everything, attract undesirable pests, can be dangerous to children or pets, and more, these plants just aren’t worth the trouble. Avoiding them can help keep your yard healthy. Instead of these troublesome plants, you can look into other custom home landscaping ideas to create a backyard retreat or improve your landscaping.